Where There is Darkness
by BeccaBo73
Summary: Jack & his team dedicate their lives to finding the missing. But what happens when a case comes their way that challenges the core of the code they live by...and they begin to believe the world would be better off if this victim stayed missing. Complete!
1. Familiar Faces

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the _Without A Trace_ characters or the reference to _Law and Order's_ Jack McCoy in the first chapter of this fic. But as it goes on, we will meet the McNamara family of Brooklyn...and they are all my own creation. I haven't yet decided if this will turn out to have a romance in it or not...but if it does, it will definitely be a Danny centered romance.

The Avalon Center in this fic is based on a women's shelter my best friend opened a few years ago after she was raped. Most of the character Katie and her story is based on my beloved friend. Turning her story into a missing person's case will be tricky, but I hope I can do it justice! I hope that this pays tribute to her. Please read and review...I love feedback!

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**_"Once we find out who he is," Malone says of one victim, "odds are we'll find out where he is."_

**Where There is Darkness**

**Chapter One - A Familiar Face**

_Bull Pen of the FBI Missing Person's Unit: Thirteen Hours Missing_

It was an ungodly hour of the morning when Agent Samantha Spade dragged herself into the office, intent on heading straight for the coffee pot. But when she saw the rest of the team gathering in the bullpen, she knew there would be no time for coffee this morning. Jack, Danny, Vivian, and Martin...all on high alert and ready to get to work. Another person had gone missing.

"What have we got?" Sam asked, coming up behind Martin and joining the team.

"Matthew Francis Runyeon. Thirty-four." Senior Agent Jack Malone began the rundown of the case. "Last seen leaving his Wall Street office last night around five o'clock. Wife called it in a few hours ago. Cops from Staten Island found his car under the ramp to the Verrazano Bridge, Brooklyn side, but no sign of Runyeon. Blood on the door handle has been sent to the lab and we're awaiting test results. We're going to need to get people over to his house and office to start asking around."

An intern walked up and handed Vivian the enlarged DMV photo for Matthew Runyeon, which she promptly put up on the board. Sam looked up at the photo and drew in her breath. "Frankie."

"You know this guy?" Danny asked, as the whole team looked at Samantha.

"Yeah." Sam said, looking around at the team. "And so do you, Jack. So does anyone who was living in New York seven years ago. Matthew Francis Runyeon used to go by the name Frankie Runyeon."

"Christ." Danny said quietly, closing his eyes. A similar reaction was noticeable in Vivian and Jack.

"Anyone care to fill me in?" Martin asked, not finding any need to remind them that he was in Seattle in '98 and had no clue as to why this particular guy garnered such a swift reaction from the team.

"This guy was responsible for the rape trial that ate Manhattan." Danny said, then muttered something unintelligible under his breath.

"It was my last year on the force." Samantha explained. "Got a call about one o'clock in the morning that a young woman was found raped and badly beaten in the bathroom of a downtown club. Mary Katherine McNamara. Katie, for short. To her friends, she was K-mac. Anyway, she was out celebrating a big promotion with some of her friends. When I got to the hospital and went in to question her..." Samantha's voice faltered a bit at the memory before she regained her composure. "...her rapisthad stabbed her and then written '_Whore_' in her own blood across her chest. There was a lot of internal bleeding and she barely made it through surgery. But she was a fighter. Pulled through surgery and had barely regained consciousness before she told me her story. Katie identified Runyeon as her rapist and we were off and rolling to trial."

"So he's out of jail already?" Martin asked and Sam shook her head.

"He never was convicted. Some kid in the evidence lab mishandled the rape kit and Runyeon got off on a technicality." Jack interjected,as hewas also familiar with the case.

"A banner day for the NYPD." Sam remarked sarcastically. "We had him. Katie was brilliant on the stand. She had the jury in tears. And Jack McCoy, the prosecutor, was perfect. Hammered into Runyeon and his overinflated ego."

"Apparently, Runyeon had been hitting on Katie on the dance floor and she wanted nothing to do with him. He even sent a bottle of champagne over to her table, which she and her girlfriends refused to open." Vivian, who remembered reading about the case in the papers, explained. "He was flying higher than a kite and her rejection was a serious blow to his ego. So later on that night, after he had been stewing in his own angry juices for awhile, he cornered her in the bathroom and raped her. To show her why no woman turns down Frank Runyeon."

"She put up one hell of a fight, too. Which is why he stabbed her." Jack added, a note of admiration in his voice.

"And then the defense discovered the evidence problem and called for a mistrial." Sam finished.

"But not before the defense raked that poor girl over the coals." Danny added, also remembering the case. "Runyeon's father was some bigwig from Boston and put together a legal team that rivaled O.J.'s. And then, you know the drill. The victim got put on trial. Every guy she ever slept with, every drink she ever had, everything she ever did as a stupidhigh schoolkid andcollege co-edwild child was paraded out in front of the jury. They even submitted the dress she wore out that night claiming it was too sexy." Danny shook his head. "Runyeon's team said the sex was consentual and when he left her she was fine. So, naturally, some other guy came along after he left and raped her."

"Except that only Frankie's DNA was found on Katie's body." Sam quipped.

"Why didn't they re-try him?" Martin wanted to know.

Sam dropped her head and said, "We couldn't convince Katie to testify a second time. Like Danny said, the defense team really did a number on her. And the case went high profile, so every where you went people were debating it."

"The rape trial that ate Manhattan." Martin repeated Danny's earlier statement, now understanding what he meant.

"Katie didn't want to go through it all again." Samantha continued. "Said she just wanted to get back to her life."

"And has she?" Martin asked, intrigued by the story.

"She tried to. It was rough going for awhile. She was on the fast track in the business world before the attack, but I heard she left her consulting firm and started a women's center downtown. Helping other women who have been attacked helped her get her own life back in focus. But it all came crashing down again on 9/11." The team looked over at Jack, wondering how he knew all this. Jack simply shrugged. "I know her old man, Tommy McNamara. Good man. He's a retired chief of the FDNY...Rescue 2 over in Brooklyn. Besides Katie, he and Sophia had five sons...all firefighters, like their dad. Tommy and the boys were all at Ground Zero on September 11th." Jack shook his head and said quietly, "Only three of the boys ever came home again."

"The McNamara's are a close-knit Irish Italian family, born and raised in Brooklyn. Sophia runs an Italian bakery in the neighborhood, just down the block from the firehouse." Sam smiled as she thought about the McNamara family. "Katie and her brothers were close. They really rallied around her after the rape. We almost arrested one of them for threatening Runyeon before we went to trial."

"Avalon Women's Center? I know that place." Vivian said, thinking back to what Jack had said. "They do amazing work there. They have trained specialists on duty to help victims of rape and abuse, a program to educate college students about sexual assault and how to take steps to prevent it. Not to mention a hotline that provides live, anonymous, secure crisis support to victims of sexual assault and their families and friends."

"And last year they opened a shelter for women and their kids who need a safe place to stay in order to escape or prevent an attack." Sam chimed in. "I heard that one of their staff will accompany women to the hospital, to the police, through court proceedings, appointments with lawyers, Financial Aid Workers, and Social Workers, wherever they need to go to provide emotional support and advocacy."

"She really turned her tragedy into a triumph, huh?" Danny asked, seemingly impressed.

"So," Martin said, thinking out loud and steering the conversation back to the case at hand, "I guess this means we have to add Katie McNamara and her brothers to the list of people we have to talk to about Frank Runyeon's disappearance."


	2. Mary Katherine McNamara

The statistics in this chapter were found on the RAINN website.

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_I learned that it is the weak who are cruel, and that gentleness is to be expected only from the __strong. – Leo Rosten_

**Chapter Two - Mary Katherine McNamara**

_Avalon Women's Center, Downtown Manhattan: Sixteen Hours Missing_

"Agent Jack Malone, F.B.I. Missing Persons Unit. We're here to see Katie McNamara." Jack flashed his badge at the security guards standing outside the door to the Avalon Center for Women. Vivian and Danny did the same, as the two guards eyed them warily. Finally, one of the guards nodded his head, handed back Jack's badge, and motioned for them to go on in. Jack pushed open a glass door that read _Avalon Center for Women: Reach Out and Conquer Violence_ and the trio stepped into the lobby.

"Those are two really big guys." Danny said, looking back over his shoulder at the two security guards. "I mean, really big."

"They may look tough, but Mike and Lou are really big teddy bears." A bright voice answered from behind him. They turned around to see a young woman standing on a ladder hanging a framed poster on the wall and smiling down at them. "We like having them here to make the girls feel safe. The women who come in here are usually escaping from some of the biggest jerks on the planet...men who prey on women. But, as Katie says, they are also the biggest cowards on the planet. And nothing scares one of these cowards more than a couple of six foot ex-firefighters standing between them and the women they prey on." The young woman climbed down off her ladder and extended her hand as she approached. "Hi, I'm Lucy Donovan. Can I help you with something?"

Again Jack flashed his badge and said, "I'm Special Agent Jack Malone of the F.B.I. and these are agents Taylor and Johnson. We need to speak with Katie McNamara."

A look of concern spread over the young woman's face. "Is this about Mary Larson? Did that son of a bitch she's married to finally..."

Jack cut her off with a shake of his head. "No. It has nothing to do with any of the women who use your services. It's a separate matter."

Lucy eyed him suspiciously and asked, "Can I see your badges again?" It was quite clear that this woman didn't trust too many people. Jack didn't blame her. If he were in her line of work, he would be suspicious of strangers too. They handed over their badges and Lucy studied them closely, looking back and forth between their faces and their photos. When she was satisfied that they were who they said they were, she handed them back and said, "Missing Persons? What did you say this was about?"

Jack had to smile at her technique and said, "We didn't. We really just need to speak with Ms. McNamara."

"We take care of each other around here, Agent Malone. Katie takes care of us and we protect her vision. Now I don't know..."

"Ms. Donovan, I promise you that we are not a threat to the work you do here." Vivian chimed in, giving the other woman a reassuring smile. "In fact, we are big fans of all that you accomplish. We just need to ask Ms. McNamara a few questions about a case we are working on."

Folding her arms across her chest, Lucy eyed them for a few moments and then said, "K-mac is in the back taking care of another matter. I'll tell her that you're here. Have a seat." She gestured to a waiting area to their left and the agents nodded their thanks as Lucy went back to her post behind the information desk in the middle of the room.

"There are some tough cookies around here." Vivian whispered to Jack as they made their way over to the waiting area.

"Well they do spend their lives fighting for women who have been abused in some way and fighting against the monsters who do the abusing." Danny answered, looking around at the artwork on the waiting area walls. Glancing back to where Lucy had resumed answering the phones, he continued, "Can't be an easy line of work. They see some of the worst life has to offer. My guess is that they don't need any cream puffs who can't handle the job."

Vivian nodded as they waited for Katie to come out to speak to them. She walked over to where Jack was looking at one of the framed posters on the wall and read the statistics that they had posted there.

_In 2002-2003, there were an average of 223,280 victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault._

_Only about 40 of rapes/__sexual assaults were reported to law enforcement in 2003. _

_Since 1993, rape/sexual assault has fallen by over 65 percent._

_Every two and a half minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted._

_Avalon: Reaching out to conquer the violence one woman at a time._

"Makes you sick to your stomach, doesn't it?" Vivian asked, shaking her head.

"Makes me appreciate people like Katie McNamara." Jack said quietly.

A door at the back of the room opened and through it came two paramedics, wheeling a woman away on a gurney. Walking with them were two women...a heavy-set black woman with a stern look on her face, and a strikingly beautiful red head that Jack immediately recognized as Katie McNamara. Katie was holding the hand of the woman on the gurney and talking to her as they walked toward the entrance.

"How is she, Tamika?" Lucy asked the black woman, the look of concern back on her face as she watched them walk by.

"She just regained consciousness." Tamika stopped walking with the paramedics but followed the group with her eyes.

"What happened?" The woman on the gurney was asking.

"You didn't wake up this morning and we got concerned about you, Lily. These paramedics are going to take you to the hospital to get you checked out, okay?" Katie leaned closer as she spoke to the woman, apparently named Lily. Lily nodded and Katie squeezed her hand. "Why didn't you tell us when you got here last night that you got hit in the head? We could have had you checked out then."

Lily didn't answer right away. Instead she said, "I can't keep getting hit in the head. This is like the tenth time."

Katie pasted a smile on her head as she looked down at Lily, a smile that obviously concealed the anger she was truly feeling. Gently, she said to Lily. "Yeah, you definitely need a new hobby**." **Katie smoothed Lily's bangs out of her face and said, "Tamika is going to go to the hospital with you and I am going to call the police so they can meet you there. You _have _to fill out a police report this time, Lily. Tamika will help you and then bring you back here, okay?"

Lily nodded her head and Katie looked over at Tamika, who was pulling on her coat, and then back at the paramedics. She smiled and said, "Thanks guys. Take good care of her for me."

Mike and Lou held the front door open as Tamika, Lily and the paramedics headed out to the ambulance waiting at the curb. "We always do, Mac." One of the paramedics said, looking back over his shoulder and winking. "Say hey to your ma for me. Tell her Donna and I will be in one night this week to sample some of her fabulous wedding cakes."

"She's been waiting for the two of you to come in since we heard you got engaged. She's already making plans for your cake." Katie called after them, then turned back to the information desk. "Lucy, will you put in a call to the boys at the 43rd Precinct and ask them send an officer to meet Lily and Tamika at the emergency room? Son of a bitch isn't going to get away with it again this time."

"Already on it." Lucy said, picking up the phone and then lowered her voice, "You have company." Lucy looked over at where Jack, Danny, and Vivian were watching the scene with interest and said, "F.B.I."

"This can't be good." Katie muttered, turning to face the agents who were approaching her. She extended her hand to Jack and said, "I'm Katie McNamara. Is there something I can do for you?"

"I'm Special Agent Jack Malone. And these are agents Danny Taylor and Vivian Johnson. F.B.I.." Jack repeated his introductions for the third time.

Katie shook Danny and Vivian's hands and looked back at Jack. "Please don't consider this a bad pick up line, but don't I know you from somewhere?" She asked, recognizing the older man's face.

Jack smiled as Danny chuckled. To Katie he said, "I worked a case with you father. In return, he invited me to the block party your neighborhood held last 4th of July."

Katie smiled an easy smile and said, "Those 4th of July bashes are a trip, aren't they?" Jack nodded and she said, "Did you get to sample one of the sausage and pepper sandwiches? They're my Papa Sal's specialty."

"Actually, I had two." Jack said, liking Tommy McNamara's daughter instantly. This was not the same woman he had seen so often on the news during her rape trial. That woman hid her face from the cameras and looked like she could break down at any moment. But it was obvious that this woman had made the long journey from rape victim to survivor. She has lived through so much in her young life. She fought stronger demons than most people, only to have her rapist evade justice on a glitch in the very system that was supposed to protect her, and survived to help other women do the same. Jack hated what they had come here to do.

"This is quite an operation you have here, Ms. McNamara." Danny said, joining the conversation. "I've heard good things about this place."

"Thank you, Agent Taylor." Stacie said, turning her attention to Danny. "We do what we can."

"You built this place from the ground up?" He asked, although he already knew the answer. "Impressive."

"It was part of my healing process." Katie shrugged, taking his compliment lightly. "I am a rape survivor and was shocked to learn how many women didn't report the fact that they had been raped. As I talked to more and more rape survivors, I realized that women needed someplace to go after their ordeal. Someplace where they wouldn't feel pressured or scared. So Avalon was born. I was making good money in the business world, so I rounded up a few investors and bought the building." Katie looked around at her life's work as if she were seeing it again for the first time and then said, "I grew up with five brothers, as a daughter of the FDNY. Firefighters are all carpenter wannabe's on their off days, so I put my brothers and their friends to work on the renovations and hired a staff. We started small, but have grown a lot in recent years."

"I'm sure your pseudo-celebrity status after the trial helped to garner some interest in this place." Vivian said quietly.

Katie turned to look at her and said, "Well, I figured all that stupid attention had to be good for something." She smiled at Vivian, who nodded, and then turned back to Jack. "But somehow I don't think you are here to talk about Avalon, are you?"

"I wish we were." Jack said. "We need to talk to you about Frank Runyeon."

The moment the name was out of his mouth, the agents could see the visible change in her demeanor. The smile faded from her lips, her spine stiffened, and the easy sparkle in her eyes was replaced with a guarded, angry look. Even her voice took on an icy tone as she asked, "What about him?"

"He's missing." Jack said flatly.

Katie was quiet for a minute as she looked right through Jack and seemed to be transported to another place. After a few long moments, she finally said, "Good." Then she turned and walked away, leaving Jack, Viv, and Danny looking helplessly at one another.


	3. One Tough Cookie

_" I'm a grown woman. I've earned my experiences...and my scars. " - Tori Amos_

**Chapter Three - One Tough Cookie**

Jack, Danny, and Viv followed Katie through the same door she had come out of and down the hall to her office, much to Lucy's amusement. She shook her head and tried to hide her grin, although the grin masked her concern for Katie. _Frank Runyeon._ Lucy practically broke the telephone receiver in her hand as that name came into her head. The name that no one in this building ever dared to utter. The irony of the whole thing was that if there hadn't been a Frank Runyeon, then there would never have been an Avalon. But still, no one uttered his name. Except for that damn F.B.I. agent. Into the receiver Lucy said, "Hey Larry. This is Lucy down at Avalon. I need you to send one of your uniforms over to Mercy Hospital..."

Back in the office area, Jack was the first to catch up to the retreating Katie McNamara. "Ms. McNamara, please. I know how hard this must be for you..."

Katie spun around to face them, the anger flashing in her eyes. "No, Agent Malone. I can almost guarantee that you have no idea how hard this is. For me or for anyone else. So don't you dare patronize me."

Jack hung his head and Vivian quietly took over the reins. Danny, wisely, said nothing at all. "Katie, we knew when we came here that this was not going to be easy for you to hear. And believe me, we dreaded having to do it. But, we do have a job to do. And that job is to find Frank Runyeon."

"He can stay missing for all I care. I can't think of anyone who would want him found." Katie spat out, opening the door to her office. The fact that she didn't slam it again in their faces was a good sign.

"His wife, for one." Vivian said.

"You mean the same woman who refuses to believe that the man she married is a monster?" Katie asked. "I'm waiting for the day when _she _ends up walking through our doors."

"We know that the last thing you want to do is help us him. You were raped..." Vivian began, but Katie cut her off.

"You know, Agent Johnson, one of the first things I learned was not to say that I was raped, but that a man raped me. Grammatically, this is the difference between the passive and active voice. As I often tell my survivor's group, the active voice is preferred unless you are trying to hide responsibility."

Vivian lowered her head for a moment and looked back to Jack. This was not going anywhere close to plan.

"Do you think he's dead?" Katie surprised them by asking.

"We don't know." Danny figured he'd give the situation a try, starting with being honest with her. "His blood was found at the scene, but there were no fingerprints on the car door."

Katie looked hard at Danny, then moved her eyes back to Jack and Vivian. "So, which one of you has the balls to ask me the question that you really came here to ask me? Who's going to ask me if I killed him?"

The three agents looked at her and Jack was the first to speak. "That's not what we came here to ask you, actually. We don't know if he's..."

"I hope that he's dead." She said flatly, then laughed a dry little laugh that let them know that noting about this situation was funny. "I've never said those words out loud before. I've thought them. More times than I want to admit, but I've never said them out loud." Her voice strengthened as she said, "Frank Runyeon is the bastard that tore my body apart and then got away with the murder of my soul. He stole so much more from me than you can ever imagine. I couldn't leave my bedroom for the first two months after he raped me. To this day, I still look over my shoulder every time I leave my house. If he's missing, then it means my world just got a little bit safer." Jack, Viv, and Danny were all silent as they looked at her. There really were no words to be said. So, Katie continued in a whisper. "He tried to destroy me. Once in that damn bathroom and then again in that courtroom. I've wished him dead so many times. But I didn't kill him. I couldn't." The hot tears forming in her eyes fell onto her cheeks and Katie wiped them away. "I don't have the nerve it would take to kill him. Because he stole that from me, too."

The silence that filled the small office was thick with tension. Katie turned away from them and picked a few files up off her desk. Looking back at them, she said, "My cousin, he's a priest. He kept trying to tell me that what happened to me was all a part of God's plan. You know what Iwas thinking the whole time he was preaching at me? That if there is a God, then he's got a shit load of explaining to do." The tears stung again in her eyes and Katie wiped them away. "Maybe _this_ is His explanation. I'm half Italian, so I know that sometimes payback can be a bitch." Katie moved past them back out into the hallway. Turning back to face them, she asked, "Is there anything else I can do for you? Because if not, I have a job to do too."

"No," Jack said quickly. "That's all. If we need anything else, we know where to find you." And with that, Katie turned and walked back down the hallway.

"Talk about a tough cookie." Vivian finally said.

"Well," Danny remarked, "we handled that well."


	4. Family Ties

Thanks for the reviews anmodo, jtsideout389, and Remote Control Princess! I'm so glad you like this fic!

OK, OK...so I get a little out of character with Samantha at the end of this chapter. But I have a secret firefighter fantasy crush that I just assumed someone like Samantha would share!

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_The hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn. – David Russell_

**Chapter Four - Family Ties**

_Engine 6, Greenwich Village - Seventeen Hours Missing_

"I love firefighters." Sam said as she and Martin approached the Engine 6 firehouse in downtown Manhattan. "Have I ever told you that? About how much I love firefighters?"

Martin smirked. "I'm sure they love you, too."

She flashed a grin at him as they turned into the engine bay. A young firefighter, probably a rookie, looked up from where he was hosing down the fire truck. "Hi." he said, obviously not used to a beautiful woman walking into his house.

Samantha flashed her badge. "I'm Special Agent Samantha Spade and this is Agent Martin Fitzgerald. We're here to see Bobby McNamara."

The young firefighter shook his head with a smile and said, "Of course you are. All the ladies come here looking for Mac." He called back over his shoulder into the depths of the fire house. "Mac! Hey Mac!"

From around the back of the fire engine, another firefighter emerged with a big smile on his face. Samantha remembered that smile, though she had not seen it too often during his sister's ordeal. "Chill out, probie. I'm right here...the house isn't that big." he said.

"You've got company, Cap. F.B.I."

Bobby McNamara turned his sexy smile on Samantha and gave her a not so subtle once over with his eyes. Normally, that would tick her off. But somehow, with this guy, she didn't mind so much. Martin, on the other hand, minded her not minding. Sam and Martin flashed their badges and introduced themselves again. Bobby extended his hand and caught Sam's in his strong grip. "Captain Bobby McNamara, Engine 6. What can I do for you, agents?"

Sam quickly switched over to business mode and said, "We need to ask you a few questions about Frank Runyeon."

The smile disappeared from Bobby's face and he pulled his hand away from shaking Martin's. "Why?"

"He's missing." Martin stated and Bobby glared at him.

"And so next you're going to tell me why I should care?" Bobby turned to the probie, who was listening in with interest, and said, "Mike, can you give us a minute?" The other firefighter nodded and walked out through a door in the back of the fire house.

"Once you were almost arrested for threatening him.During your sister's rape trial..." Samantha began, but was cut off by Bobby's angry words.

"Eight years ago that bastard stabbed and raped my sister, then left her for dead." Bobby said through clenched teeth. Sarcastically, he continued, "I was a little upset."

Knowing a volatile situation when they were in the middle of one, Sam and Martin exchanged looks with each other. Carefully, Samantha tried again. "His car was found on the Brooklyn side of the Verazzano Bridge. With Runyeon's blood inside."

"Brooklyn's a big place, Agent Spade. A lot of people live there. And I'm sure that bastard pissed off someone besides me." Bobby replied. Then added, with a veiled threat in his voice, "Or anyone else in my family."

"Captain McNamara, if you could just tell us if you and Mr. Runyeon have had any recent contact..." Martin began asking.

Bobby shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe this." He looked again at Sam and a spark of recognition flashed in his eyes. "I know you. You were the detective on the case when Katie was raped." Sam nodded and Bobby looked her dead in the eye. "You know what he did to her. And what that did to our whole family. We watched her pull farther and farther away from us, into this darkness, and there wasn't a damn thing we could do about it! We had to sit there and do nothing! Because, as you so adamantly told me, if we went out and did something stupid we could jeopardize her case!" Bobby was yelling now and when he realized that, he lowered his voice. "She's my sister. The only one I've got. It's my job...my God given right...as her brother to protect her. And if we couldn't protect her, we should have at least been able to beat the shit out of the bastard that did that to her. But, we couldn't. All we could do was sit around and wait for the courts to punish him. And instead they let him go." Bobby turned and began to walk away from them, but turned back when he had calmed down. "They let him go. Let him walk right back into his life as if nothing ever happened. My sister was broken, the world as she knew it was destroyed, and no one ever paid for that. Do you know what it was like for us to look into her eyes and see no trace of the girl we once knew? He stole her soul and ruined her life." Bobby's voice began to break and he raked his hands through his hair to avoid the tears he could feel coming to his eyes. "She was sad and scared all the time. And I didn't know how to help."

"Something like that," Martin began, "might make you want to take matters into your own hands. Get your own justice."

"You're damn right." Bobby practically snarled at Martin, who visibly stepped back. "But I didn't. None of us did. And you want to know why? Because Katie asked us not to. She told us that she needed us around to help her remember that there are good men out there and that monsters like Frank Runyeon are the minority. She told us that no matter how bad it was for her, the only thing that could possibly be worse would be to have to go through it without one of us around because we did something stupid." Bobby laughed a bitter laugh. "She said she wouldn't come see us in prison. So we left him alone. Even though we hated every minute of it, we left him alone. We left him alone then and we're still leaving him alone now. Because Katie asked us to. And we wouldn't ever do anything to cause her more pain." Gaining a tighter control on his emotions, Bobby continued, "She got through it, you know. She's amazing that way. Somehow she found the strength to put it behind her. And the rest of us just followed her lead. Frank Runyeon is part of the past...a past we don't talk about anymore. I don't know anything about his disappearance, but I'm sure as hell not going to shed any tears over the fact that he's missing."

"So, if we ask your brothers these questions they will give us the same answer?" Martin asked quietly.

"Not word for word, but close enough. Because it's the truth. It's an ugly truth, but everything about the whole mess was ugly. Joey and Eddie will tell you the same thing." Bobby eyed Martin, then said, "I'd watch out for Eddie though. He's the mean one. You say Frank Runyeon's name around him...duck. 'Cause he'll knock you on your ass before you ever knew what hit you." Bobby seemed to like having a little fun at Martin's expense. But his voice grew quiet as he turned to Samantha. "Danny and Charlie won't be any help to you, though. They didn't make it home from Ground Zero." Bobby said, the previous emotion he displayed now gone from his face and voice.

"I'm sorry." Samantha said, meaning it. "I have just one more question, Captain McNamara, and then we'll get out of your way. Where you were last night around eight o'clock?"

"Still don't believe me, do you?" Bobby asked, then said, "I was on duty last night. Here at the house. We're short staffed lately so I pulled a double tour. Ask any of the guys."

Not able to resist the urge to flirt with the sexy firefighter who seemed to have a heart of gold under his tough, muscled exterior, Sam teased, "Oh, you mean the firefighters back there who put their lives in your hands everyday and would die for you if need be? Those guys?"

Bobby broke into a smile. "Yeah, those guys. Go ahead, ask them. I'm sure they're looking forward to answering any question you've got."


	5. What Doesn't Kill You

Thanks for the tip and your review, TheNaggingCubeI went in and changed my settings!

OK, I broke down and decided to go the romance route. So, here goes...

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_"The world breaks everyone and afterward some are strong at the broken places..." __— Ernest Hemingway_

**Chapter Five - What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger**

_Downtown Gym: Thirty Seven Hours Missing_

Danny had been watching her since the moment she came in. He should have known that a woman like Katie McNamara wouldn't come to the gym to use the stair climber or run a few laps on the treadmill . No, this woman headed straight for the heavy bag and started punching and kicking out her frustrations. And, Danny had to admit to himself, she had good form. From the bag, he watched her move into the ring for some sparring with a guy he assumed was her trainer.

"That's it!" The trainer was praising her for a sharp move as Danny approached. "You can take the girl out of Brooklyn, but you can't take the Brooklyn out of the girl!" Trainer and student knocked gloves as he said, "I think that's good for today, kiddo. Before you beat the crap out of me."

"Sorry, Eddie." Katie gave her brother a sheepish smile as she caught her breath.

"I don't suppose this extra aggression has anything to do with the fact that the F.B.I. has been questioning us all about the disappearance of Frankie boy?" Eddie asked, looking sideways at her as he helped her unlace her gloves.

"Can you believe that?" Katie asked, flexing out her fingers once they had been freed from her gloves. "What do they think...it took us eight years to figure out how we wanted to get our revenge? Don't they know that we're Italian? Revenge, if we decide to take it, is something we know a thing or two about."

"And we know enough not to leave blood at the scene. Or the car, for that matter." He teased and they both laughed. "If these agents are our best and brightest, I'm not feeling all that safe."

Katie elbowed him in the gut and turned to pick up her water bottle. Seeing Danny standing at the edge of the boxing ring, her cheeks flushed with embarrassed color. "Well, speak of the devil." She muttered under her breath as Danny stood smirking at her. "Good morning, Agent Taylor."

"Mornin'." Danny said cheerfully, enjoying her embarrassment.

"Agent?" Eddie asked, turning around to see who his sister was talking to.

"Agent Taylor, this is my brother Eddie McNamara. Eddie, this is Agent Taylor...of the F.B.I." Katie introduced the two men, placing her emphasis on the F.B.I. part of that statement.

Danny reached out his hand to shake Eddie's hand, only to find out that Eddie didn't plan on extending his. Obviously not the least bit embarrassed about his previous comment, Eddie responded, "I said all I'm going to say to the lady agent yesterday. So unless you're here to tell us that I was just named 'New York Firefighter of the Year', I've got nothing to say."

Danny shook his head. "I'm just here for a workout. Same as you."

Eddie glared at Danny for a few minutes before deciding he still had nothing to say to him. Turning to his sister, he said, "I've got to get to the house. My tour starts in an hour." His scowl softening into a grin, he continued, "Nice work today, kiddo."

"Thanks." Katie replied, grinning back at him. "Be safe. I love you."

"Love you, too." Hoisting his gym bag onto his shoulder, Eddie kissed his sister's cheek, threw one more menacing look in Danny's direction, and headed out onto the New York streets.

Turning back to Danny, Katie tried to explain. "Sorry about that. Eddie's really a great guy when you get to know him."

"So I've heard." Danny replied, still smirking. Martin and Sam had told the team about this brother...tough as nails and not at all cooperative.

Katie looked at him and said, "Look, Agent Taylor, your team came sniffing around yesterday and opened up some old wounds that my family has..."

"Call me Danny." He interrupted her. "And it's okay. Because I'm really a great guy when you get to know me, too."

Katie had to smile at him despite herself. Casting a glance at her brother's retreating form, she said, "At least you were smart enough to send a female agent to talk to my brothers. She made quite an impression on all three of them."

"Samantha has that effect on people." Danny agreed, his smirk extending into a real smile.

"Agent Taylor..." she began

"Danny." He reminded her. "I'm not on the clock for another couple of hours."

"Danny," she said, "I'm glad I ran into you here. I wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday. You caught me off guard, and I don't do well when I feel cornered."

"We didn't mean to make you feel cornered." He said, his tone sounding gentler.

"I know." She said. "You were just doing your job. He's missing and, whether I want you to or not, you have to find him." Stacie pushed some stray hairs out of her face and continued, "I don't suppose it will do any good to tell you that you are way off base if you think that anyone in my family had anything to do with his disappearance."

"We have to follow up on all of our leads." Danny said simply.

"And the McNamara's have a reason and a desire to see him dead." She finished for him. "But, you're still wasting your time."

"I'll keep that in mind." Danny said, watching her bend over and put her water bottle back into her gym bag. He was a guy after all, so he took a few moments to admire her tight physique. She was in great shape...and her form fitting work out clothes accentuated it nicely. "You have good form." He blurted out.

A slow smile spread over her face as she turned back to look at him. "Are you checking me out, Danny?"

"No, I..." he stumbled over his words, realizing how that must have sounded to her.

"Because that was a strange thing for a guy to say if he wasn't checking me out.." She teased, enjoying his sudden discomfort.

"I meant in the ring. You have good form in the ring. With your stance and everything." Danny tried to explain, realizing too late that she was playing with him and he must have sounded like an idiot. "Really."

Deciding to let him off the hook, Katie said, "I took up kickboxing about seven years ago. I've been in love with this city my whole life and then after my attack, I was afraid of it. I decided one day that I didn't want to be afraid anymore. So I took a self-defense class and wasn't satisfied with what I saw. I was attacked from behind by a guy the size of a linebacker who held a knife to my throat. Kneeing him in the balls and yelling 'No' wouldn't have helped me too much."

Danny grinned and nodded in agreement. "It's a tough sport. And you're good at it. Not too many women have the stones to try it."

"I grew up in a firehouse in Brooklyn." She informed him. "There's not much that intimidates me."

"I believe it." Danny said, raising his eyebrow.

His tone caused her to laugh. "We teach a class over at Avalon. Kind of a combination of self-defense, kickboxing, and cardio. Most of the girls come because it's a great workout and they can learn some ways to protect themselves in the process." Katie grinned at him again and said, "The smokin' body wasn't exactly my ultimate goal, but it's a nice bonus."

"Yes it is. Maybe I should sign up."

Katie shook her head. "Sorry...no boys allowed. Not all the women there are in it for the workout. It's therapy for some of them. They visualize their attackers and it helps them focus. Any guy within a five mile radius better watch out."

"Thanks for thinking of my safety." He said. She turned and picked up her gym bag, a sure signal to Danny that their conversation was just about over. Only, he didn't want it to end. So before he could stop himself, he asked, "Have you had breakfast yet?"

Katie turned back to face him. "Are you asking me out, Agent Taylor?" she asked with a mischievous little smile.

"No, I'm...there's a great little diner a few blocks from here." Her subtle, flirty tone caught him off guard at first, but he recovered quickly. "It's kind of a hole, but they make a killer omelet. I was going to get one and thought you might like one, too."

"Aren't there rules about this in the F.B.I.?" She asked, enjoying the easy banter between them. "About agents going out with potential suspects?"

"Actually they encourage it." Danny shot back, grinning. "It's a new form of interrogation. Put the suspect at ease by plying them with eggs and coffee and hashbrowns. Then get the top secret information out of them that will blow the case wide open. It's how we caught the uni-bomber. Although, I think those agents used pancakes."

Katie laughed out loud and Danny found himself mesmerized by the sound. There was very little about this woman that didn't absolutely mesmerize him. "Seriously though," Katie said, "could you get in trouble?"

"For having breakfast? Like I said, the Bureau encourages it. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

"Danny..." Katie began.

"You have to eat, don't you?" He interrupted her protests. "Well, so do I. So, we'll just be two people eating. At the same table in the same diner."

He was quite charming, she had to admit. And good looking. It wasn't often that a man got past her defenses as quickly as he had. She _was _hungry and really enjoying his company. Finally, she said, "I have to shower first."

"I'll wait."


	6. Getting to Know You

**In response to the reviews:** Ooops about slipping Stacie in there! Stacie is the character I created for my first fic...must have had a brain lapse! And NO...Danny was not following Katie. He was just working out at the same gym she happened to show up in. Pure coincidence. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

Since flirty Danny was such a hit, I gave him another chapter and have a few more planned for later.

OK, the ending of this chap. may seem a little abrupt, but I did that on purpose. While I have created a back story for Katie, the thing I find most intriguing about Danny is his mystery. I wanted to preserve that but still show how well they relate to each other. Mission accomplished? Please let me know in your reviews.

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_"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."  
- Albert Camus_

**Chapter Eight - Getting to Know You **

To anyone sitting in the diner that morning, Danny and Katie looked like a couple who had been together for years. The pair sat in a corner booth and the light, playful conversation began immediately. They were a beautiful couple...her peaches 'n cream complexion and dark red hair was a perfect contrast to his dark good looks. The laughter coming from their booth was heard often.

"Ugh." Katie remarked, scrunching up her face. "If you use the word courageous one more time, I'm going to dump my eggs in the lap of your nice, clean suit."

"You," Danny said with a grin, "take a compliment worse than any woman I've ever met."

Katie dipped her head and laughed. "I'm sorry. It's just that for awhile so many people either treated me like a hero or like I was made of glass and could shatter at any moment. I wasn't either one of those things. I was just a girl who'd gone through a life-changing experience and just wanted to forget all about it." Katie took a sip of her coffee and continued, "The last thing I want to be known as is 'The Girl Who Got Raped'. I just wanted to be left alone to heal."

His tone turned as serious as the subject they were discussing and he asked, "How did you? Heal, I mean. Because you talk about it so openly."

"I learned that there is no agony like bearing an untold story inside of you. It can cripple you." She replied. "Plus, my friends and family rallied around me for the long haul. They never let me go, even when I gave them good reason to."

"What kind of reasons?" He asked, genuinely intrigued.

"I was a real bitch for awhile." She looked over at him and smiled.

"No...you?" The sarcasm was dripping from his voice, but the smile plastered to his face continued to be playful. "I can't imagine."

"Yes, I know it's hard to believe that the sweet and lovely girl you met yesterday could turn into the Wicked Witch of the West Village, but it is true." She joined him in poking fun at herself, but then said seriously. "I was sad and scared and angry and ashamed and in nine different kinds of pain. I had so many emotions inside of me that I was like a ticking time bomb. And I wasn't dealing with any of them. I shut myself away in my apartment, refused to see anybody. When I did see people, I snapped at them for stupid things. I wouldn't eat, and God help anyone who tried to make me. I didn't sleep because I had these awful nightmares. I just couldn't function." Pushing what was left of her eggs around on her plate, Katie said, "I was the star witness in the rape trial that ate Manhattan. If we had any hope of putting him away, I had to be ready to take the stand. But I was in no shape to face a jury or a defense attorney. Nobody knew how to help. But one thing was for sure, my friends and family weren't just going to sit around and do nothing. So my mom made some calls and found the best therapist in the city. She made me the appointment and told me that if I didn't go she would send my brothers out after me and have them drag me to the next one." Katie grinned. "You don't mess with my mother."

"Isn't therapy supposed to be a voluntary thing?" Danny asked.

"Not in my family." Her tone was sarcastic, but her love for her family shone in her eyes. "I remember the moment they told me. My mother sat on the edge of my bed and told me that I was going to go see this therapist and I had no choice. They weren't going to lose me to this. They saved my life that day."

"They love you very much." Danny said, meaning it. "How long were you in therapy?"

"I still am. In fact, my therapist inspired me to start Avalon. Then I stole her away from private practice to come work for us. I have lunch with her almost every day." Katie stole a bite of Danny's omelet off his plate and then offered him a bite of hers before continuing. "She is a rape survivor herself and knew exactly what I needed to do to heal. She put me through Hell. But she had to. People are afraid of what they might find if they try to analyze themselves too much, and I was no different. But she told me that you have to crawl into the wound to discover what your fears are and once the bleeding starts, the healing can begin."

"Sounds intense."

"You have no idea. She took me back through that night so many times, until I could get through it without getting lost in the pain."

"And she came up with the idea for Avalon?" Danny smiled his thanks at the waitress who poured them both some more coffee, and the girl blushed as if she were waiting on a rock star. Katie suppressed her laughter, which caused Danny to playfully raise his eyebrow at her. "What?" he asked when the waitress had walked away, "Did you really think you were the only woman taken in by the charm that is Danny Taylor?" Katie groaned and they both laughed. "So, you were saying?"

"Hmm? Oh right, Avalon." Danny had a disarming way of hanging on to her every word and seeming genuinely interested in what she was saying. "She told me that she couldn't change what had happened to her, but she could try to help other women who went through the same thing. That's why she went into therapy. It helped her to heal to know that she was doing something for other women out there. Well I wasn't about to go back and get a degree in psychology, so I started Avalon instead." Katie took a sip of her coffee. "I have completely dominated this conversation, haven't I?"

"Yes," he said simply and they both laughed. "But I have enjoyed it. Usually women are so stymied by my rugged, good looks and get completely tongue-tied that I have to carry on both sides of the conversation." His eyes sparkled as he flirted. "You have completely relieved me of that burden this morning."

"Rugged good looks?" Katie returned quickly, "Excuse me while I choke on my coffee."

Danny pasted a look of mock humiliation on his face. "I sense I am being mocked. You don't find me rugged?"

Katie grinned and leaned in closer, saying quietly, "Let me repeat for you what I said earlier. I grew up in a _firehouse._ In Brooklyn. Those are the men I grew up idolizing...large, muscled, kick-your-ass-whenever-I-feel-like-it men. Trust me, I know rugged when I see it."

"And you're not seeing it right now?" Danny asked, pretending to be hurt. In a last ditch effort to impress her, he said, "I carry a gun."

"There it is!" she laughed. "The clincher!"

"Ha Ha! I knew it. I should have my own calendar." Danny said, claiming victory over the boys of the FDNY. "New York's Bravest." He muttered and then said, "You've dated a lot of firemen, haven't you?"

Swallowing another bite of her omelet, she shook her head. "You would think so, wouldn't you? But alas, the very thing that is so fabulous about being a daughter of the FDNY is also what sucks about it." Katie grinned at Danny. "I was completely off limits. My father and my brothers made that frustratingly clear to all the guys they knew. And no one was going to go against my dad's wishes and mess with Tommy Mac's little girl. It sucked."

Danny laughed. "I haven't known you very long, but somehow I think you managed to find your way around that little problem."

"A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do." Katie said, batting her eyelids playfully. "But, I have to admit that I am developing a new appreciation for the charming, intellectual type."

"Why, Ms. McNamara, are you flirting with me?" Danny asked, enjoying this turn the conversation was taking.

"You're real quick on the uptake, aren't you?" She answered. "So what about you? Do you stick to a 'type' of woman?"

"My type seems to be the kind of woman who thinks the fact that I am an F.B.I. agent is sexy, until the first time I have to cancel a date with her because I'm working late on a case." Danny smiled a wry smile. "Then, it's not so sexy anymore."

"Ah, a workaholic."

"I like to think of it as dedication to my life's passion." He countered. "Something I'm sure you would know nothing about."

"Touche." She said. "Tell me about it."

"About what?" Danny asked mindlessly, concentrating on his final bites of omelet.

"Your life's passions. Finding missing persons. As we've already established, I've taken over this whole conversation by talking about me and I hardly know anything about you."

"I beg to differ. You know that I am not rugged and that I put ketchup on my eggs." Danny smirked. "Those are two very crucial parts to who I am."

"Nice try." Katie countered. "While to some women that may sound like the basis for a beautiful friendship, I'm a very demanding and complicated woman. I need to know more. So now it's your turn...spill it."

"What do you want to know? My life is an open book." Danny teased, a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.


	7. Can't Find Frank

_"In a real sense all life is inter-related. All persons are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly... I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the inter-related structure of reality." _– _Martin Luther King, Jr. _

**Chapter Seven - Can't Find Frank**

_F.B.I. Missing Persons Unit Bullpen - Forty Five Hours Missing_

Dead ends. In the past few hours, that was all his team was coming up with. That irritated Jack Malone . But not as much as the thoughts his team had all been having about this missing person. He stared at the photograph of Frank Runyeon hanging on the board and wondered exactly what went on in the mind of a man like Runyeon's. The more they found out about him, the less they liked him.

Danny came up behind Jack, throwing the case file on his desk. He looked up as Jack asked, "Nothing, huh?"

"With a young wife and newborn waiting for him at home, Runyeon had to know that finding himself out of a job was going to cause major stress."

Jack mulled for a moment before replying, "That gives the wife a motive."

"Yeah," Danny agreed, "but according to Theresa Runyeon, she had no idea that her husband lost his job the night that he disappeared. There are no calls to her from his work or cell phone, and no signs that he ever made it home that night. So at the very least, what we end up with is one more person with motive and an alibi." Together, the two men stood and stared at the case board. Finally Danny said, "Are we going to at least entertain the notion that this guy doesn't want to be found? Or is a suicide?"

"How do you figure that?" Jack wanted to know.

"Sometimes in life you have to face up to who you are. Maybe he couldn't handle looking in the mirror." Danny said simply. "Aside from raping Katie Mc..."

"Allegedly." Jack corrected, a dry tone to his voice.

Danny cast a sideways look at him before continuing, "Aside from _allegedly _raping Katie McNamara, we have found out that he was cheating on his wife, while she was pregnant no less, and got caught embezzling funds from his firm. Maybe he did have a sliver of a conscience and it finally caught up with him."

Jack thought for a minute, then shook his head. "We can't think suicide without a body."

"I think I can help you there." Martin said, coming over to join them and holding up a report. "NYPD pulled a body out of the river about an hour ago. No identification, but matches the physical description of our Matthew Francis Runyeon. Samantha and I are headed down to the morgue."

Jack drew in his breath. "Did they say anything about a preliminary cause of death?"

"Blow to the head." Martin replied. "Body had a gash on the side of his head, just above his left ear."

"Rules out my suicide theory." Danny said.

"If it is Frank Runyeon." Jack reminded. To Martin, he said, "Get down there and find out for sure." Martin nodded and turned, almost running headlong into an approaching Vivian. "Sorry." He smiled, reaching out to steady Vivian.

"Easy there, Speedy." Vivian said returning his smile, then watched Martin take off down the hall.

"Got anything?" Jack asked.

"We were able to trace that mystery number that kept popping up on the records for Runyeon's work and home phones the last few months." Vivian paused, looking at Jack and Danny. "You're not going to like it."

"There are a lot of things about this case that I don't like, so hit me with it." Jack said.

"The number was traced back to a cell phone tower in Brooklyn. The phone is registered to Tom McNamara."

"Katie's dad." Danny said quietly.

Both Danny and Vivian turned to look at Jack, but his face was unreadable. Finally he said, "Look's like we're going back to Brooklyn."


	8. Daddy's Little Girl

_To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world. – Unknown _

**Chapter Eight - Daddy's Little Girl**

_Brooklyn Fire Training Academy: Forty Six Hours Missing_

As Jack and Danny pulled up to the entrance of the Brooklyn Fire Academy, they flashed their badges and inquired about the whereabouts of Tom McNamara.

"Tommy's running the cadets through drills out on the training course." One of the instructors informed them, then warned. "Be careful when you go out there...it's a live simulation. We play with real fire around here."

Approaching the training course, Danny and Jack eyed the scene with interest. Smoke was pouring out of the windows of a building that looked like it had been constructed for a Hollywood set. The next generation of New York City firefighters were running in and out of the building with equipment and life size dummies on their backs while Lt. Tom McNamara and his staff barked orders at them from a viewing area.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Tom was yelling. "You don't make it into a city firehouse if you leave a man behind in my house!"

"I thought you said he was retired." Danny said, as they continued to watch the training exercise.

"He was. Retired a few months before 9/11." Jack said, never taking his eyes off the scene in front of them. "But the FDNY lost 343 veteran firefighters at Ground Zero, including two of his sons. Not only was the department short staffed, they were spread pretty thin. The experienced guys were being moved around to different houses to spread their experience around, but they still had a lot of rookies. The powers that be lured some of their more decorated guys back into the fold. And Tommy McNamara is as decorated a firefighter as they come. He's practically a legend. So they brought him back to train the rookies here at the academy. Rumor is that since he has, they have graduated the most prepared classes of firefighters to come out of this academy in years."

"I can see why." Danny said, watching as Tom berated his cadets for mistakes made during the drill and sent them back to try it again.

Turning away from his cadets, Tom saw the two agents standing nearby and immediately recognized Jack Malone. He handed his clipboard to one of the other instructors and came over. "Special Agent Jack Malone. Good to see you." He said, extending his hand as he approached.

Tom and Jack shook hands as Jack said, "I wish it were under different circumstances." Turning to Danny, he said, "This is Agent Danny Taylor."

After shaking hands with Danny, Tom remarked, "I wondered when you were going to get around to me, Jack. Your team has questioned my little girl and each of my sons...frankly, I was beginning to feel a little left out."

"We like to think of ourselves as equal opportunity, Tom. So here we are." Jack said. "Frank Runyeon..."

"Deserves whatever has happened to him." Tom said matter of factly.

"That may be." Jack agreed. "But our job is to find out exactly what _did _happened to him. Can you help us out with that?"

Tom shook his head. "No." Was all he said.

"Can't or won't?" Danny asked. Just like his sons, Tom McNamara was an imposing figure of a man. Tall and still muscular for his age, the eldest McNamara's face retained the look of a man who had spent forty long years pulling people from burning buildings. Danny now had a clearer understanding of Katie's definition of rugged.

Tom eyed Danny for a moment before saying, "Both."

"You're a smart guy, Tom." Jack said. "You know we wouldn't be here if we didn't have Frank Runyeon's phone records. We know you've been calling him."

"He raped my little girl." The statement was emotionless, but the anger flashing behind Tom McNamara's eyes told the real story.

"We know." Jack said quietly.

"No, I don't think you do." Tom McNamara shook his head. "My little girl. Katie was our last child. The baby Mac. After five sons, Sophia was desperate for a baby girl. Not me." Tom laughed a dry, little laugh. "The thought of raising a daughter scared me to death. What the hell did I know about little girls? But she had me wrapped around her little finger from the moment I first held her..." His voice trailed off and the anger in his eyes softened a little. "You know how it is, Jack. You have daughters. What if somebody hurt them?"

"I can't begin to imagine what it must have been like for you." Jack said, trying not to think about what he would do if anything happened to his daughters.

"I spent my whole life trying to protect her. Trying to make her tough. To the point that she would get so mad at me sometimes, you know. Teen-age rebellion and all that. Sophia says she's just like me. I'm still not sure if that is a compliment to either of us." Tom shook his head again and looked at them. "After that animal attacked her, my little girl didn't want to be touched. By any one. You couldn't even breathe on her. The worst thing that could ever happen to a woman and she wouldn't let me hold her. She stopped eating and sleeping. She cried all the time. Katie never cried a day in her life before that. He made her cry and I couldn't make it better for her." He looked away, back over at the training course, to hide his emotions. It was something they had seen before, a trait he had passed down to his sons. "She had these terrible nightmares - nightmares about what happened, nightmares about being raped, and even worse were the nightmares where he was just there, present, a continual invasion of her space. Nights were not her friend. And as for the days...her days were endless. Days meant having to deal with people, days meant flashbacks, and body memories, panic attacks, moments that were too dark to talk about but too immense to ignore. He ruined her life."

"So why did you call him?" Jack asked quietly.

"To ruin his." Tom said, his voice free of any emotion. "I couldn't let it go, Jack. Katie got better, you know. She moved on. She figured out how to rescue herself from the role of a victim. That she had a choice left. She didn't want to spend the rest of her life being bitter and locked up. But I raised a girl who's a better person than I am. I couldn't do what she did. Because I still have this vision of my little girl the way I saw her in that hospital...I won't ever get that out of my head. Her face and body were bruised and beaten, the knife wound from where he stabbed her. And that word painted across her chest in her own blood." Tom McNamara's voice choked at the thought and he took a moment to regain his composure. "I watched her mother cry herself to sleep every night because Katie had been through something that most women don't recover from. Her brothers blamed themselves for not being able to do what they'd done all their lives...save her from the big, bad bully on the playground. A father doesn't forget those things."

"You kept track of him?" Danny asked, trying to rid his head of the images Tom McNamara was painting of his daughter following her attack.

"Everyday for the last eight years. I know his every twisted movement."

"Why?"

"I've got no answer for that. It's just something I had to do. To make sure he stayed away from her." Tom looked Jack right in the eye. "Do you know that son of a bitch got married? And they had a baby boy? Runyeon's a partner in a fancy Wall Street trading firm now. His creep of a father set him up good. Made a nice life for him and his little family. He should never have been allowed to do that."

"What did you do, Lt. McNamara?" Danny asked quietly, trying to suppress the emotions welling up inside of had inflicted so much damage on so many lives.

"I let him know that I knew he was screwing a girl in his office." Tom informed them, unaware that they already knew. "And apparently, the only way he could get her into his bed was to tell her about all the money he was stealing from his company. Which I then let his partners know."

"How did you acquire this information?" Danny asked.

Tom McNamara leveled the agent with his eyes. "I've lived in this neighborhood a long time, Agent. I have a lot of friends. And when Frank Runyeon got away with raping my daughter, he made a lot of enemies he never even knew about. I didn't have to look very far to find someone willing to help me expose him."

"Figuring that if you couldn't put him away for rape, then you could send him up on embezzlement charges?" Jack finished for him. "Would that have been enough punishment to ease your soul, Tom?"

"We've known each other a long time, Jack." Tom countered, focusing on his friend. "You have something you want to ask me, then you damn well better ask it and leave your slick F.B.I. style for people who are impressed by it."

Danny winced. He didn't know many people who could talk to Jack Malone like that. He could definitely see that attitude was a McNamara family value. To Danny's surprise, Jack didn't even bat an eye. Calmly he answered his friend, "Frank Runyeon's body was recovered earlier today..."

A look of surprise registered in Tom's eyes, but he recovered quickly and said, "Proving that maybe there is a little justice in this world, after all."

"We need to know where you were Tuesday night." Jack continued in an even tone.

"Ball field a few blocks from St. Mary's church." Tom answered quickly. "Danny's oldest boy, Mike, plays centerfield for the church league and the annual Father/Son game is this weekend, so we had practice Tuesday night. Ever since Danny died, the boys and I have taken turns playing with Mikey in that game. This year it's grandpa's turn." He then made a point to say, "Sat right next to Father Xavier all night."

"And after that?" Jack asked, ignoring the sarcastic comment about the priest.

"My grandson knocked in the game winning run. Afterward I took him over to the bakery for some pastries to celebrate and tell his grandmother all about it. We helped Sophia close up, then I drove him back over to his mom's on Staten Island."

"Across the Verazzano Bridge?" Danny asked.

"You know a better way to get to Staten Island from Brooklyn?" Tom shot back..

"Frank Runyeon's car was found under the entrance ramp to the Verazzano." Jack informed him.

Tom looked back and forth from Jack to Danny and oddly didn't offer up any defense for himself. Instead he said, "Frank Runyeon's the one with blood on his hands, not me. And not my boys." Turning to walk away from them, he said, "Stay away from my family, Jack. We've survived too much to be destroyed by something like this."


	9. Amazing

anmodo - Thank you for saying that you are in awe of this fic! I have become a fan of your writing as well, so your compliment means that much more to me!

Thank you everyone for your reviews! I have appreciated them immensely! There will be more firefighters coming soon! But for now, here's some more romance. This scene was taken directly from a story my friend told me about her current husband while they were first dating. I think it fit Danny and Katie nicely...

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_"Love is giving someone the power to destroy you and trusting them not to"** – **Unknown_

**Chapter Ten - Amazing**

_Katie McNamara's apartment; Seventy Two Hours Missing_

Katie's bare feet padded along the shiny hardwood floors of her apartment. She knew she had a bottle of bubble bath somewhere in her apartment. When her brothers didn't know what to get her for her birthday or Christmas, they went with the old stand-by's...bubble bath and scented candles. She had the candles. She had the wine. She had the latest best-seller and the Carly Simon CD's cued up in the stereo. She had the night all to herself and the hot water running in the tub. A perfect recipe for relaxing evening at home. All she needed now was the bubble bath.

"Max, did you eat my bubble bath?" She asked her German Shepard, who was lying on the floor in his favorite spot in the living room watching her go back and forth. He lifted his head to acknowledge that she was talking to him, but then laid it right back down again. "Aha!" She exclaimed in victory, pulling a gift bag off the shelf in her hall closet. Still wrapped up from last Christmas, Katie pulled out the bottle of jasmine scented bubble bath and headed back into her bathroom. She added the foamy liquid to her hot, running water and let the fragrant aroma settle her frazzled nerves. It had been a long week. And she deserved this evening to herself.

Lighting the candles she had strategically placed around her bathroom and shedding her bathrobe, Katie climbed into the hot, soapy tub and submerged her weary body in the floral scented bubbles. Carly Simon's melodic voice filled the small room and Katie began quietly singing along to her favorite song.

"All I want is you and the sexy hurricane that we share..." She sang, leaving her book in it's place on the counter. She would read later. Right now she was just enjoying the nothingness that filled up the space around her. Lying back against the tub, she closed her eyes and drifted off into relaxation world.

The CD was nearing the end and Katie was contemplating the thought of getting out of the tub to change it when she heard her doorbell ring. Her eyes flew open and she sat straight up. Max began barking and she could hear his toe-nails clicking on the floors as she was sure he was pacing back and forth in front of the door. "You've got to be kidding me." She muttered to herself, pulling herself out of her wonderful bath and putting on her robe. Pulling the belt tight around her, Katie made her way out into the front hallway in time to see Max jumping up on his hind legs against the door. Whoever was on the other side, was making Max nervous.

"Sit." Katie commanded him, but was ignored. Max's barking became louder, so she raised her voice and said again, "Max, sit!" Looking through her keyhole, Katie was surprised to see Danny standing on the other side. Max had crept back up behind her and Katie turned to grab a hold of his collar. "It's OK. It's OK, buddy. Go back to your bed." Max, the well trained guard dog, looked at her with his ears pointed and cocked his head to the side. It wasn't until Katie pointed at his bed that he finally followed her command.

"How did you get up here?" Katie asked through the closed door. "I have a rather large doorman downstairs. Who is paid very well, actually."

"Hi yourself." Danny said, smirking. "My badge must be worth more to him than your cash. I suggest giving him a bigger Christmas bonus."

"Have you no shame?" She asked.

"Are you going to let me in?" He asked. "I feel like an idiot standing out here in the hallway talking to your door. And with all the noise your dog was making, people are starting to stare."

"What do you want?" She asked, enjoying this little flirtation that they shared.

"To come in. Now open this door before I have to impress you with my skill at kicking it down."

"I think you are greatly underestimating my security system." She said, unlocking the door and opening it up. "And greatly overestimating your own strength."

"That hurt." He said, casually leaning against her door frame and grinning at her. "How are you going to make it up to me?"

"You interrupted my relaxing evening. And showed up here without calling first." She shot back. "I think the better question is, how are you going to make it up to _me_?"

Max, who had stayed on his pillow bed longer than Katie had expected, made his appearance and began barking at Danny. "Whoah...nice doggy." Danny said, taking in Max's sharp teeth and menacing bark.

"Max, get back in your bed!" She knelt down and rubbed her baby's head. "It's OK, baby. Go." Again, she pointed at the bed and Max skulked back to his bed, keeping one eye on Danny.

"That's a big dog." Danny said, also keeping an eye on Max.

"That's a good quality for a watch dog to have." Katie laughed. "My brother, Charlie, gave him to me. He thought I needed to be protected. I wouldn't move back home, I wouldn't let him move in here, so he figured that a dog was the next best thing."

"Did I meet Charlie?" Danny asked, trying to get the McNamara brothers straightened out in his head.

"Not this week, you didn't. He died in the North Tower. All we recovered of him was his left arm and part of his..." Her voice trailed off as she looked over at Max, lost in her remembering. After a moment, she straightened and looked back at Danny. "You would have liked him. Everybody liked Charlie. He would have been the only one of my brothers to give you half a chance this week. So, why did you say you were here again?"

"To see you." He answered simply.

Taken aback by his honest answer, Katie recovered by saying, "That's all you've got? C'mon Danny, we haven't seen each other in two days. You couldn't come up with something better than that?"

"Do I need something better than that?" He asked, moving closer and finally noticing that all she wore was a bathrobe. Her flawless skin was pink from the heat of her bath, her red hair was loosely pulled up on top of her head with enticing little tendrils escaping all around her face, and she smelled intoxicating. Trying to focus, Danny said, "OK, how about I tell you that Frank Runyeon's body was found floating in the Hudson yesterday."

"So, you're here to arrest me?" She asked.

"Have you done something illegal?"

"Not recently." She smiled, but then remembered the conversation she had with her mother this morning. Her demeanor changed and she asked, "You questioned my father?"

"Katie..." Danny began, not wanting to go through this with her again.

"Why?"

"Because it looks as if Runyeon's been murdered. And your father has been keeping tabs on him for eight years." Danny said, then wished he could take it back when he realized she didn't know that.

"What are you talking about?" She asked. "Keeping tabs on him?"

"He's been protecting you. Making sure that he stays far away from you." Danny reassured her. "Just being a good father."

"Which has promptly landed him on your radar and in the middle of this whole mess." Katie finished for him. "I guess being a good father isn't quite as rewarding as it used to be."

"It's going to be alright, Katie. If he didn't do this, then there is nothing for your family to worry about..."

"Nothing to worry about? My father is the glue that holds our family together!" She told him. "Everything we do is because of him. We buried Danny, and then Charlie, and half the boys I grew up with and somehow we lived to grieve another day. Because my father was determined that it wasn't going to destroy us. And the whole time, he and the boys spent their days down at that damn pile searching through God knows what so that they could bring my brothers home. Because my dad knew that my mom couldn't bear it if they were left there. My father is not capable of murder."

She didn't know and Danny didn't have the heart to tell her. Tom McNamara was capable of the unthinkable. Because he was a father. Danny had seen the look in Tom McNamara's eye when he had spoken about his daughter and what Runyeon had done to her. And at that moment, Danny believed that her father would have been capable of all that she couldn't imagine to get even with the man who hurt her. And his alibi for that night put him at the scene of the crime.

"We're going to get to the bottom of this. I promise." It was all Danny could say.

"I need a drink." She said, suddenly. "Do you want one?"

"I don't drink." She nodded and headed back to the bathroom. Confused Danny asked, "You keep drinks in your bathroom?"

"I told you that I was relaxing this evening. I only got to finish half of my wine before I was so rudely interrupted." _Plus_, Katie thought, _I have to change_. Being so close to him and wearing only a bathrobe was doing something delightfully dangerous to her senses.

"OK, Max and I will wait here." Danny called after her. He looked down at the dog and laughed a nervous little laug . "Good doggy." He said as he sat down on the sofa.

When Katie returned, safely clothed in the outfit she had been wearing earlier that day and carrying her glass of wine, Danny was nosing through one of the books on her coffee table. He looked up and said, "I found the dog treats. Max and I are now good friends."

Katie grinned as she sat down next to him on the sofa. "You're not like most of the cops I know."

"Why? Because I read a book?" He countered, then said, "I'm not a cop."

Ignoring his elitist comments, she said, "Because you still haven't stopped believing that the good guys always win and the bad guys always lose. It's sweet. Really. The only other one I ever met like you was your friend Agent Spade." Danny nodded in agreement and Katie continued, "Now, she was a detective who thought she could save the world. And I believed she could do it too, starting by putting a needle in the arm of the bastard who raped me. But we were both let down by a legal technicality."

Danny leaned back against the sofa and turned to face her. "Is it easier for you now, knowing that Runyeon is dead?"

"It stopped being about him a long time ago, Danny. I had to survive what happened to me and come out clean on the other side. For myself and for my family."

"That's a lot of pressure."

She nodded in agreement. "That's why Avalon is so important to me. It's a daily reminder that awful things happen to everyone sometimes and when they do, you're left with a choice. You can either stay down or you can choose life. I was down for awhile, but I finally realized that you have to accept what's happened, grieve about it, start the healing process, and go on."

"You make it sound so easy." he said.

"I don't mean to. It's the hardest thing I've ever had to do. But I learned that the things that frightened me might not be so frightening after all. My tears of sorrow softly stopped and my heart began to heal itself. The human heart is amazing that way. My grief was interrupted one day by episodes of joy, and I heard the whisper of hope again." She smiled at him. "Plus, I had my therapist, Maria, and my family with me every step of the way. Some people aren't that lucky. That's why I do what I do...so women out there know that they're not alone in their pain."

"What was the hardest part for you?" He asked, letting his eyes drift over her beautiful face.

"Sex." She answered simply. "It was my biggest stumbling block. Remembering that sex was something that I had enjoyed immensely at one time and that what happened to me was about control and not sex."

"Have you..." Danny searched for the right words, but as usual Katie immediately put him at ease.

"Yes." She said smiling. "The only way back after having taken so much hatred from one man is to accept so much love from another. My first foray back into the dating world was with a great guy who cherished me. But it was a long, slow process. He was extremely patient and gave me the space I needed. My body seemed to have a mind of it's own for awhile. Even though my mind knew that he would never hurt me, my body remembered that the last time something had happened down there it had been bad, and it shut down. So he even went to a sex therapist with me and learned how to coax my body into enjoying pleasurable experiences again. The goal that my shrink had for me was that I could be intimate as a woman again, eventually, and not be controlled by the way I was violated. " She looked at him and said, "Too much information?"

"No," he answered quite seriously, "I asked. So, what happened to this great guy?"

"He was a fireman." She said and they both laughed. "After September 11th, things got tough. He had a lot to deal with, I had a lot to deal with and things were intense. We fought more than we did anything else and that wasn't good for either of our frail psyches. We just decided to call it quits before we ended up hating each other."

"That was very adult of you." He said, only half teasing.

"I'm beginning to find out that I will make a great grown up someday." She said. "But because of him we started a class at Avalon for men who's wives or girlfriends were raped and how to handle it."

"You're amazing."

She blushed at his compliment and the way that he was looking at her. Nervously she said, "I'm doing this so that women don't feel as if their lives are over after they've been raped or abused. So many of them don't know how to have an intimate physical relationship or that they can be beautiful people again. Maria always said that my willingness to give up my Victims Anonymous badge followed my realization that the withholding of passion and pleasure from myself, was a form of self-violence."

"So," Danny whispered seductively, "do you still deny yourself pleasure?"

"Not when I can help it." She whispered back, fitting her body next to his.

Danny took his cue and leaned closer. Slowly. Inch by inch. He could see her body tensing and so he whispered sweet and soothing words, his warm breath tickling her ear. He wrapped his arms around her and could feel when she finally gave in to her desire and relaxed. He inched closer and closer until their lips brushed against each other.

He moved his lips softly at first, feeling, tasting the taste of her sweet mouth, drawing in the sensation of her lips against his. But then the kiss deepened and became more passionate and demanding.. He teased Katie's lips further apart with the tip of his tongue, moving it slowly, caressing her upper lip, then the lower, finally diving in between. Katie's arms finally found their way around Danny's neck, her balance shattered under the fierce force of the kiss.

Danny''s hands couldn't resist touching her, his fingertips itching to feel her burning skin under them. They started moving, tracing their way up Katie's arms, until they reached her collarbone, then her neck, and they finally dived into her hair. He took her lower lip between his teeth, biting it briefly, just hard enough to make a silent groan escape from Katie's throat. Or was it his? He wasn't sure anymore.

With a gasp their lips parted, their bodies pulled slightly apart. "Danny," she said, the word barely a sigh. Danny's fingers were still tangled in her hair; his other hand had wandered to her waist in some point and was now gripping it tightly. His breath was a pant, his chest rising up and down, up and down, as he drew in air. She simply stared into his deep brown eyes, as widened as she imagined her own were.

It took a second before there were movement again. Danny's body jerked, as if startled by the sudden realization of what had happened, and he reluctantly dropped his hands to his side. "I'm sorry." He mumbled. "I didn't mean to..."

"Please don't apologize." she told him. "Unless you're sorry that it happened."

"No." He said quickly. "Not at all." He looked down at her and caressed her lovely face with his hand. His thumb traced a path from her jawline to the fullness of her lips. He was crazy about this woman. But he was treading in dangerous waters. "I don't want to scare you away." He whispered. "Or make you regret that you..."

She smiled at him and leaned in closer, whispering, "I don't scare that easily. And this is definitely not something I will regret." She caressed his face with her own hand reassured him. "It's OK, Danny. I won't break."

It was all he needed to hear as he leaned in for another breathtaking kiss.


	10. Girl Talk

I have been laid up with the flu all weekend, which is why these updates are coming so quickly! My husband took the kids out pumpkin picking and my Yankees are out of the play-offs, so there is nothing to watch on TV. So, I dragged my laptop into the bedroom and have been lost in Danny and Katie's world for most of the day!

This may be my favorite chapter yet! Conversations between women friends are my favorite. I based some of these women on my own friends, and I hope you will find them to be the kind of women we all want to have as friends. I know I do! Enjoy...

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_Intimacies between women often go backwards, beginning in revelations and ending up in small talk without loss of esteem. - Elizabeth Bowen_

**Chapter Ten - Girl Talk**

_Avalon Center for Women; Eighty Seven Hours Missing_

Katie picked up the invitation lying on the counter of the reception desk at Avalon and began to read out loud. "We are cordially invited to an 'Influential Women of Manhattan' Luncheon on November the Eighth, Two Thousand and Five, A.D.." She laughed, "A.D... they're worried we might accidentally show up 2, 000 years before the birth of Christ?"

Lucy chuckled and looked over at the invitation, reading over Katie's shoulder. She shook her head and then went back to whatever it was she was doing on the computer. Camille, another one of Avalon's employees, came through the back doors and leaned on the reception counter. "What's the number for our tech support guy?" She asked. "I'm gonna need to get someone to fix my computer."

"I'll do it," Lucy replied, picking up the phone. "What's should I tell them is wrong with it?"

Camille looked guiltily at the two of them. "It's in several pieces on my floor."

Katie and Lucy exchanged a glance with each other and tried to suppress their laughter. Camille's passion was one of the reasons she was so good at her job at Avalon, but God help the world when her passion became misguided anger. "Are we throwing a tantrum for any particular reason? Or because it's been over a week since your last temper tantrum?" Katie asked, lightly.

"It's nothing." Camille said, avoiding eye contact with either of them.

"Your computer is not only a very expensive piece of equipment, but it also holds all of your important files." Katie reminded her. "It doesn't sound like nothing."

"Well it is."

"It's a man, isn't it?" Lucy asked, putting down the phone.

"Yes." Camille admitted.

"Thought so. Care to share?"

"No." Katie and Lucy waited the requisite ten seconds before Camille continued with, "Why do they have to be such bastards?"

"That's a big question." Katie pointed out. "Are we talking about all of them or did you have a particular bastard in mind?"

"Chris."

"Chris? Who's he?" Lucy wanted to know.

"My so-called boyfriend."

"I thought you were going out with that guy Lance?"

"That was last month." Katie informed Lucy.

"How did I miss this?" Lucy cried, in mock outrage.

"I try to keep you up to date, but Camille's love-life just moves so fast." Katie turned to Camille, and said, "It's only been three weeks? How did he go from being the love of your life to bastard in three weeks?"

"He's cheating on me."

"After only three weeks?" Lucy wanted to know. "He must get bored easy. Who's he cheating on you with?"

"His wife."

"He's married?" Katie asked, intrigued. "Did you know?"

"Sort of."

"Sort of?" Katie and Lucy asked at the same time.

"He said they were separated."

"He told you that?"

"Well, nearly separated."

"Oh God, Camille." Katie chided mockingly. "We all know guys can be bastards but you don't have to make it so easy for them."

"There you are, Katie." said Maria, Avalon's head therapist and Katie's savior, entering from the same door Camille had just come through. "I've been calling your office for the past ten minutes."

"I wasn't there." Katie replied simply.

"That's what I figured when I saw the empty desk. I said to myself, 'Katie is not here'." Marie promptly responded.

"No. I was here." Katie teased.

"That's what I figured when came in and saw you. 'Here she is' I said. Just a few seconds ago, as a matter of fact." Maria joined in, loving the verbal sparring that went on around this place.

"I'm glad that's sorted out." Katie said, "So what did you want?"

"I can't remember." Maria shook her head, looking confused.

"Let me know when it comes back to you."

"I will." Looking at the group, she asked. "So what are you three talking about?"

"Bastards." Katie, Lucy, and Camille said together.

"Oh" said Maria, "men."

"You got it." said Lucy.

"What could you possibly have to contribute to this conversation?" Maria asked Lucy. "Jeremy isn't a bastard." She said, referring to Lucy's long time boyfriend.

"I'm supporting the sisterhood." Lucy said simply.

"Oh." Maria said, then turning to Camille she asked, "Has Chris dumped you?"

"No, he has not dumped me" Camille said firmly. Then, a lot less firmly, "He just cheated on me, sort of."

"You knew about Chris?" said Lucy to Maria.

"Sure. I was there when she met him."

"You were there?" asked Lucy.

"Sure. All the girls were there. We were having a girls night out at Cosmos." Maria said simply.

"Well were was I then?"

"Er... I think you had a date with Jeremy." said Katie.

"You could still have asked me." Lucy pretended to be hurt. "I can see Jeremy anytime but I hardly ever go out with the girls any more. Come to think of it, we used to have girls nights all the time. How come they stopped?"

Katie, Maria, and Camille looked a little uncomfortable.

"What?" asked Lucy.

"Well" Katie said, "they sort of didn't stop."

"They didn't stop?"

"No."

"You still have girls nights?"

"Yes."

"Without me?" Lucy exclaimed.

"Sort of." said Maria.

"We think about you a lot though." said Camille.

"But not enough to invite me." Lucy pointed out.

"It's just that you're always out with Jeremy." Katie said.

"I'm not ALWAYS out with Jeremy. Most nights its just a video and a pizza, and that's if I see him at all."

"It's just a little different now." said Maria.

"Why?"

"Because you're in a serious relationship. The rest of us are either single like me and Kate or just having a casual fling like Camille."

"Hey!" said Camille but Maria continued. "So I guess we just kind of assume that you want to be with Jeremy."

"Well don't assume that in future." Lucy said firmly. "Jeremy and I are not joined at the hip. Next time you have a girls night I expect to be asked, ok?"

"Ok." The other three said in unison.

"Actually, we're having one tonight. After the night shift comes on." said Katie.

"Great" said Lucy. "I'll be there."

"Good." said Camille. "It'll be great to have you back."

"Oh wait a minute" said Lucy. "Tonight? Damn, I can't."

"Why not."

"I have a date with Jeremy."

The four women dissolved into peals of laughter. There was always something special happening when these women got together...they didn't tear each other down out of jealousy or pettiness. They were all beautiful and accomplished in their own way and truly appreciated each other's friendship.

"Ok, so here's the cliff notes version of how Camille met Chris." Maria says, filling Lucy in. "Alright. We were in a bar and this guy comes up to her and says 'You've ruined my love-life.'"

Camille chimed in, "I'd never seen him before so I say 'What?'. So he says it again and I say 'Why?'. Then he says, 'Because after seeing you I am fated to compare all women to you and they will be but pale shadows in comparison.'."

"Wow" said Lucy.

"I fell in love."

"Really?" Lucy shook her head. "That is one thing I don't miss about being single. Cheesy pick up lines."

"I don't know," Katie grinned. "I heard one last night that wasn't too bad."

"Do tell." Maria said, raising her eyebrows and the other girls leaned in.

"Um...I think it went something like this." Katie paused for dramatic effect. " 'You're amazing.' " she said, with a twinkle in her eye.

"Who used that one?" Camille asked. "That's brilliant."

"Danny."

"I knew it! I knew it!" Lucy threw her arms around Katie in her excitement. "I knew he was crazy about you from the minute he saw you! I can tell these things!"

"Who is Danny?" Camille asked.

"Hottie F.B.I. boy? From breakfast the other day?" Maria asked, grinning.

"Who is Danny?" Camille asked again, raising her voice.

"I'm not out of the loop on this one." Lucy said. "Special Agent Danny Taylor. Of the F.B.I. He was here the other day nosing around about Frank Runyeon."

"You hopped in bed with the Feds?" Camille asked.

"I did not. Let me be clear. I did not." Katie protested, laughing. "Danny was a perfect gentleman." Then with a sly tone to her voice, she added, "Who happens to kiss like a God!"

Again, the women dissolved in laughter. "Spill it, girl." Maria said. "Let us live vicariously through your lips!"

But the girls would not have a chance to hear about Katie's romantic evening. Because the front door of Avalon opened and a young woman walked in. Her eyes were wild as they darted around the reception area and she was clutching a baby to her chest.

Maria immediately moved to the woman's side. "Can we help you, honey? Do you need to sit down?"

The woman shook her head and looked around. "I was raped a few nights ago." She said quietly, holding the baby closer to her.

Katie, Lucy, and Camille sprang into action and immediately went into crisis mode. Careful not to scare her, they let Maria handle the young woman directly while they got the appropriate paperwork in order and Camille went out back to see if they had any cribs available.

"OK, honey. You're safe now. He can't hurt you here." Maria reassured her. "Do you know who did this to you? Was it a stranger?"

The young woman shook her head. Her next words stopped them all in their tracks. "It was no stranger. It was my husband." She licked her lips and looked right at Katie. "Frank Runyeon."


	11. Confessions

**anmodo** - As usual, thanks for your reviews. I thought it might be too soon to have Danny and Katie hook up, too. But then I realized that this fic was not going to go on forever, so it needed to happen fast. You're right about their mutual attraction...and I'm so glad you noticed it, too! Breakfast was their first date, so I figured a kiss on their second "date" wasn't so bad!

**Amy** - Thanks for your two cents! I'm so glad you are enjoying it!

**jtsideout389 **- Thanks for your review! I'm so glad you saw people you know in the 'girl talk'. That's what I was going for!

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_A man's very highest moment is, I have no doubt at all, when he kneels in the dust, and beats his breast, and tells all the sins of his life. – Oscar Wilde_

**Chapter Eleven - Confession is Good For the Soul**

_Avalon Center for Women_

"I didn't know if it was right for me to come here or not." Theresa Runyeon looked over at Katie and then hung her head. "But I didn't know where else to go."

Maria looked over at Katie, who put down the papers she was shuffling around the counter. She quietly came around to where Maria and Theresa stood. "Of course you should have come here." Katie quietly said. "That's why we are here."

When Theresa finally looked up, the tears were glistening in her eyes. "I'm sorry for what he did to you. I didn't know." She whispered, the tears spilling onto her cheeks. "I didn't know what he was." She shook her head and said, "I believed him when he told me that he didn't rape you. That he had been set up. I believed..." Her voice trailed off and she looked down at her son and began to sob.

Not knowing what else to do, Katie stepped closer and pulled the young woman into her embrace. That only seemed to make Theresa cry harder. "I married a rapist. I had a baby with a monster." She cried into Katie's shoulder. "I didn't know. Until he did it to me."

The silence in the reception room was deafening. Maria moved forward to take the baby from Theresa's arms, which she then wrapped around Katie. The young woman held on to Katie for dear life and it was all Katie could do not to lose her balance. Maria held the baby and rocked him in her arms as she beheld a sight she never believed she would see...Katie McNamara holding Theresa Runyeon, wife of the man who brutally raped her, in her arms and whispering words of comfort. Maria exchanged a look of concern with Lucy and wondered what other bizarre turns this night would take.

"I'm sorry." Theresa whispered again. "For all that you have been through..."

Katie stopped her before she could say anymore. "You don't have anything to apologize for." She said, pulling away and looking the other woman in the face. "Let us help you, ok?"

As Katie began to talk with Theresa Runyeon, Camille came back around the desk and whispered to Lucy, "Is she going to be able to treat this like any other rape victim?"

"I don't know." Lucy shook her head and whispered back, "Katie predicted this, you know. She said once that she was just waiting for the day when Runyeon's wife came in here as his victim. I never knew whether or not she just said it or whether she really believed it."

"...and these are Lucy and Camille. They work here at Avalon and are going to help you through this process." Katie was saying, as she approached the desk with Theresa and Maria.

"Hi, Mrs. Runyeon." Camille started, picking up her clipboard. "I know this is difficult, but we're going to need to ask you a few questions. Is that alright?" Theresa Runyeon nodded and Camille got to work. "Could you tell me when you were attacked?"

"Monday night. Frank came home real late...and drunk. He'd been having problems at work recently and..." As Theresa recounted her horrible tale to Camille, Lucy took a moment to come over to where Katie and Maria were standing, cooing over the baby. Frank Runyeon's baby. It wasn't the poor kid's fault who his father was.

"Are you ok?" Lucy asked Katie, the concern evident in her eyes.

"Yeah. Don't worry about me." Katie said, looking over at Camille and Theresa. "I knew this would happen one day." Katie whispered. "But for it to happen this week...God, it's unbelievable."

"Do you think she killed him?" Maria asked.

"Yes." Katie said matter-of-factly, causing Lucy and Maria to look at her. "I've been where she is. We both have." She said looking at Maria, who nodded. "The only difference is that I knew Frank Runyeon was scum from the second I laid eyes on him. But she trusted him. She fell in love with him and had his child. And then he destroyed the world that once seemed so safe." Katie's thoughts turned to her father, under suspicion for the very murder they were talking about. If Danny thought that _her _father, the finest man Katie knew, was capable of murder than anyone was. " If she didn't kill him, someone did it for her. She has a daddy out there, too."

"OK, thank you, Theresa. I know that was difficult to talk about." Camille was wrapping up her questions, so Lucy, Katie, and Maria approached slowly. Camille made a few more notations on her clipboard and then looked up at Theresa. "Do you still have the nightgown and the panties you were wearing that night?"

Theresa shook her head, confused. "I didn't bring them with me, but they are at home. Why?"

"We're assuming you have showered since your attack, haven't you?" Katie asked and Theresa nodded. "Then you have washed away any DNA evidence that he left on your body. But the police may be able to get some evidence off the clothes..."

"No!" Theresa protested, interrupting Katie's explanation. "No police. I'm not going to the cops."

Katie, Maria, Camille and Lucy all exchanged looks. Lucy pursed her lips as Camille said, "Theresa, we encourage everyone who comes here to file a police report. We'll be with you every step of the way. It's the only way that you will be able to get justice..."

"Justice has already been done." Theresa said flatly. Turning to Katie, she said, "For both of us."

Silence. No one knew what to day. Finally, Katie whispered, "What happened, Theresa?"

There were no tears this time. Theresa straightened and said in a steady voice, "He left for work Tuesday morning as if it were any other day. Showered, shaved, and got dressed. Had a cup of coffee and some toast, kissed Joey good-bye, and went to the office. I couldn't let him get away with that."

"What did you hit him with?" Katie asked, her eyes never leaving Theresa's.

"A golf club. His favorite nine iron." Theresa laughed a bitter little laugh. "He loved those clubs. I gave them to him as a wedding gift."

Taking a deep breath, Katie turned to Camille and asked, "Was there a crib back there in the shelter rooms?"

Camille nodded, a little confused. "Yes, but..."

"Theresa, we can give you and Joey a place to stay for the night and we'll sort this all out in the morning." Katie said, ignoring the incredulous looks she was getting from her friends. "Lucy, can you show Theresa where she can put her things and then find her something to eat?"

Looking at Katie like she had lost her mind, she said, "Um...yeah, sure. Come on, Theresa. It's this way." Lucy led Theresa and Joey through the back doors and into the shelter rooms.

Maria was at Katie's side in a heartbeat. "What the hell are you doing? That woman just confessed to a murder!"

"A murder that people seem to want to pin on your father!" Camille hissed. "You've got to call the police."

"Or Danny." Maria said.

Danny. Katie closed her eyes for a second. She couldn't think about him right now. "Leave him out of it."

"Are you insane?" Maria asked, turning Katie to look at her. "We can't start harboring criminals!"

"She's a rape victim." Katie said, her mind spinning.

"Who just admitted to killing her rapist!" Camille said.

"He was my rapist, too."

"But you didn't kill him." Maria reminded her. "You can't let that get in the way of doing what's right."

"Right for who?" Katie asked. "We can only accomplish the things we do here because people trust us. She trusted us. Is our next move really going to be to turn her in to the police?"

"We are here to do what is right. To fight against violence. All types of violence." Camille said, trying to reason with Katie. "That woman is not in her right mind. We have to be."

Katie looked at her friends and felt completely helpless. She knew they were right, but part of her couldn't abandon this woman. This woman who had done what she had never been able to do. "I don't know what to do." She whispered.


	12. You Can Always Go Home Again

**I'm not trying to preach in this chapter...I promise!**

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_Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one. – Jane Howard_

**Chapter Twelve - You Can Always Go Home Again**

_Catalano's Italian Bakery - Brooklyn, NY_

As Katie pushed open the front doors of her family's bakery, the delicious scent of Italian breads and pastries combined with freshly brewed espresso filled her senses and brought back sweet memories of her childhood. As the children of two working parents, Katie and her brothers practically grew up between this bakery and the firehouse. It was here where they were put to work behind the counter as soon as they were able to see over it and taught about the value of loyalty and passion in your chosen career. The same array of characters still frequented this place...the faces and personalities that had shaped her view of the world. Hard working men and women who believed in the values of hard work, the church, their families, and the perfect tomato sauce. This neighborhood never seemed to changed and Katie loved the comfort and stability she found here.

"Ah, mi bella bambina!" Her grandfather called out his greeting from behind the counter. "Come here and give your Papa Sal a hug."

Salvatore Catalano was in his mid-eighties, but as spry as a teen-ager. His mother, Angelina, had opened Catalano's Italian Bakery when she arrived in America as a means to support her young family. Like Katie, he had grown up in this bakery and took it over from his mother when she passed away. He dedicated his life to baking his mother's original recipes with loving care and passed those secrets on to his daughter, Sophia...Katie's mother. After suffering a heart attack a few years ago, he turned the day to day operations of Catalano's over to Sophia, but continued to work behind the counter of this place he loved every day. In a world full of mega-stores and fast food restaurants, mom and pop establishments like Catalano's close every day. But through the loyalty of it's customers, the quality of it's service, and the simple deliciousness of it's baked goods, Catalano's was still going strong seventy years after opening it's doors.

Sliding into her grandfather's bear hug, Katie teasingly whispered, "Did you save me one of your famous cannolli's?"

"I made one special just for my girl." He said, opening up the refrigerated display case and handing Katie one of her favorite desserts in the whole world. "Espresso?" He asked, and turned around to fix her a cup without waiting for her answer.

Katie took a bite of her cannolli and closed her eyes in delight. Heaven. "Is mom here?" Katie asked, standing at the counter and stirring her espresso.

"She and your dad should be here soon. They went to mass over at St. Mary's."

"You and grandma didn't go?" Katie asked, surprised.

"We attended the sunrise service." He said proudly, taking a tray of pastries out of the oven and setting them on a cooling rack. "I was a little surprised actually that your mother said they were going. Except for midnight mass on Christmas Eve, your father hasn't been to church in years."

"He's been pretty mad at God lately." Katie said quietly, taking a sip of her espresso. "I know how he feels."

"Yeah." Sal said simply, filling up a pastry bag with ricotta filling for the pastries. "Maybe now it's time for both of you to realize that it's no good to be mad at God. What's happened to this family was not of God. It was the evil that dwells in the hearts of men that attacked both you and those buildings. It was not of God."

"How do you do that, papa?" Katie asked, smiling at him. "How do you keep your faith after everything that's happened?"

"That is the very essence of faith, bambina. Believing in God when everything in this world tells you that he doesn't exist. It's easy to believe in His will when life is good...it's when things are hard that faith is truly tested."

"Well," she mumbled, "then I have failed miserably."

"You woke up this morning, didn't you?" Katie nodded and he continued. "You got out of bed and are facing another day, right? That's faith, whether you want to call it that or not." Sal came around the counter and kissed her forehead. "Some people can't do that, especially after having been what you've been through. Some people don't get out of bed ever again."

Katie smiled at him and fought back the tears that were welling up behind her eyes. God, she loved this old man. "Since you are doling out words of wisdom this morning, I need to run something by you. But you have to promise to keep it a secret."

"Promise."

Katie took a deep breath and said, "Frank Runyeon's wife came to Avalon last night. And after she admitted that the bastard had raped her too, she told us that she clocked him over the head with his favorite nine iron and killed him."

If he was surprised by the news, Sal Catalano hid it well. "What did you do?"

"I put her up in one of the shelter rooms." She answered. "She needed my help."

"The help she needs, bambina, may not be something you can provide." He said quietly.

Their conversation was briefly interrupted by the front doors of the bakery opening again. Tom, Sophia, and Bobby McNamara, dressed in their Sunday best, came through the doors laughing and talking.

"Well don't you all look like a Hallmark card." Katie remarked, smiling at them.

"I was thinking a Norman Rockwell painting." Bobby quipped, pulling his tie from his neck "And where were you this morning?"

"Sleeping in."

"She had a very eventful evening." Sal said, going back to decorating his pastries.

"Papa!" Katie cried in mock outrage. "What happened to keeping it a secret?"

Sal looked at her, genuinely confused. "From your parents? I didn't think you meant to keep it a secret from them."

"Keep what a secret?" Sophia asked, coming over to Katie and kissing her hello. She eyed the remnants of Katie's cannolli and asked, "For breakfast?"

"I'm washing it down with coffee." Katie said, raising her cup as Sophia shook her head.

"The child is thirty years old, Sophia. She can choose her own breakfast." Tom said, grabbing a cannolli of his own and taking a big bite while winking at his daughter.

"How was mass, dad?" Katie asked, a teasing tone to her voice.

Tom smiled and said, "Long. But I figured that since I haven't spoken to God in such a long time that I better show my face again so he remembers who I am. You know, just in case."

"Just in case of what?" Bobby asked, pouring himself a cup of espresso. "Have you committed any major sins that you need to atone for lately?"

Bobby was teasing, of course, but the tone of the room changed dramatically. Sophia looked from her husband to her son and then turned and walked into the kitchen without saying another word. The F.B.I. and their questions had them all on edge lately.

"Tell them." Sal said quietly.

"Tell us what?" Tom wanted to know, looking at the door his wife had just disappeared through.

"Theresa Runyeon came to Avalon last night. And told us that she killed her husband."

The silence in the room was all consuming. Finally, Tom asked, "Why did she come to you?"

"Because he raped her, too."

Tom McNamara closed his eyes and steadied himself on the counter. "His own wife?"

Katie nodded her head and asked quietly, "What should I do?"

"What you do best." Bobby said. "Help her survive this."

"I don't know how. I mean, with the rape, my team is already on it. But she confessed to a murder. A murder that any one of us in this room was capable of committing."

"But none of us did." Tom said quietly. "When we had to choose between right and wrong, we chose to stay on the right side of the law."

"He raped her." Katie said.

"And for that he deserves to rot in Hell." Sal said, as Sophia came back into the main room from the kitchen. "But it was not her place to send him there."

"I wanted him dead. And now he is." Katie said quietly, looking down at her espresso. She could feel her father come and stand behind her, placing his large hands on her shoulders.

"I know, baby. I wanted him dead, too. Because what he did to you, and now to her, was unforgivable." He said quietly, gently squeezing her shoulders. "But that didn't give us the right to be his judge, jury, and executioner. We can't tell you what to do, Katy-did. This one has been handed to you. All we can tell you is that whatever you decide to do, we'll stand by you."

"Like always." She said with a smile. "If I turn her in, I know that Danny will..."

"Danny?" Bobby asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Agent Taylor." Katie corrected herself. "He and his team..."

"Wait, wait, wait. Danny?" Bobby said again. "You are on a first name basis with the F.B.I. agent?"

Katie recognized the smirk on her brother's face and looked around at her family for help. But she could tell by the looks on their faces that she wasn't going to get any.

"A million men in Manhattan and you get involved with the feds?" Sal asked, teasingly. "You couldn't find a nice bank teller or something?"

Katie just shook her head and took another sip of her espresso, which was getting cold. Tom snickered, leaned down and kissed her cheek, saying "I don't know about you, Bob, but I've got to get out of this monkey suit and into some real clothes."

"Sounds good to me." Bobby said, following his father to the door. He turned back to look at Katie and it seemed he wanted to say something. Instead he just smiled at her and winked. "Are you coming over to the ball field to watch the game? Dad and Mikey are gonna kick butt on the diamond today."

Katie smiled at him, knowing there was nothing else that needed to be said. "Save me a seat." She said. "I'll be there in a little while."

Tommy and Bobby headed out the door and Sal took a tray of pastries back into the kitchen. Sitting alone with her mother, Katie asked quietly, "Did you think he did it?"

Sophie laughed a bitter little laugh as she tied an apron around her waist and began arranging the pastries in the display case. "Which one? In the past twenty four hours, I have imagined that the man I married and three of the children I gave birth to were capable of murder. I also entertained the possibility that your father would go all the way to jail for one of the boys if he thought they had killed him." Turning back to Katie she said, "I don't ever want to spend another day like that."

"You don't really think they were capable of it, do you?"

Sophia turned around and faced her daughter. She walked over and took Katie's face in her hand and said, "I have loved your father since I was fourteen years old. And in all those years, I have only seen him cry twice. The night he found out that Danny and Charlie would never come home again and the night you were attacked. There are no words to describe what that did to him. Not only did I think he was capable of it, I was scared to death that he had done it."

"Would you turn her in?" Katie asked.

"No." Sophia said, shaking her head. "But that is not my decision to make. Just do what your heart tells you. It hasn't led you astray yet." She bent down and kissed Katie's nose. "Speaking of hearts, are you going to tell me about this Danny person?"


	13. In the Still of the Night

**The beginnig of this chapter is a little graphic. Be forewarned if the subject of rape makes you uncomfortable.**

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_"In everyone's life at some time our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit." — Albert Schweitzer _

**Chapter Thirteen - In the Still of the Night**

_Katie McNamara's apartment, a few nights later..._

_She could hear him come in before she ever looked up and saw him standing behind her in the mirror. The look on his face told her that he had not followed her into this bathroom to offer her another drink. _

"_Tease." His words slurred as his hands gripped her upper arms. "This will teach you to turn down Frank Runyeon." He threw her up against the bathroom stall and the look in his eyes told her that this was not a joke. _

"_Let me go." She tried to break free of his grasp, but his fist came up to connect with her jaw. Reeling from his punch, her hands flew to her face just as he hit her again. Losing her balance, she slumped down to the cold, hard tile floor of the bathroom. Her terror increased as he got on top of her, straddling her hips. He pulled her panties off and pushed her dress up over her head, using it to both cover her eyes and restrain her arms. Katie then realized what was coming next, and she struggled fiercely, fighting as hard as she could until the blows he rained down on her stopped her fight. _

_As soon as she stilled, she felt the point of something sharp being pressed into her cheek through her dress . His disembodied, whispered voice came through to her ear, "If you struggle again or cry out, I will slit your throat and leave you here to die. Behave yourself and you might live through this." As much as it terrified her, Katie knew that she was going to have to wait out the attack if she wanted to live to tell about it._

_When it was over, she felt the knife pierce into her side and Katie drew in her breath to keep from crying out. She could feel her blood trickling out of the wound in her side as he touched it with his cold hands. She was too numb to move and could feel him tracing something on her chest. "Thanks, bitch." She heard him say. "I knew you would be good." The last thing she heard before the darkness engulfed her was the bathroom door opening and closing behind him._

Whimpering, Katie turned over in her bed and cried out. "No! Leave me alone." Her arms were suddenly free from their constrictions and she reached out.

Danny sat up immediately and pulled her to him, realizing too late that she wasn't fully awake yet. Her fist connected with the side of his face as she thrashed wildly about. "Let me go, you son of a bitch! Let me go!" She screamed at him, punching him in the chest, the arms, and the neck numerous times.

Danny reached over and turned on the light, then caught her once more in his arms. Still she fought against him and he held her tighter, trapping her arms down at her side. "It's ok, baby. It's me. It's Danny." Her eyes were open and wild, but she still didn't seem to understand what was going on. He cupped her face gently in his hands and forced her to look at him. "Look at me, Katie. Look at me. It's Danny." He brushed the hair out of her face and whispered soothingly, "It's ok. You're safe with me. I won't hurt you. It was just a nightmare. It's over now. Look at me. It's Danny. Say my name."

Finally able to focus, Katie looked up into his concerned yet gentle face. His touch was light, but firm enough to hold her steady in his arms. "Danny?" She whispered.

"Yes, baby, it's me. It's ok." He loosened his hold on her and she moved her arms to wrap them around his body. He leaned back on the pillows taking her with him and together they lay in silence. She laid her head on his chest and snuggled closer to him, thankful for the safety his arms provided. Danny traced small circles on her back with his fingertips and the delicate rhythm of the motion calmed her nerves. He could feel her body begin to relax against him and the up and down motion of her chest began to slow as her breathing returned to normal.

"I haven't had one of those nightmares in a long time." She finally whispered, her warm breath tickling the hair on his chest.

"Are you ok, now?" He asked, moving his hand to stroke her hair.

"Yes." She said quietly, content to just lay there with him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked quietly, knowing what the answer would be. Although she had allowed him into her bed, there were still parts of her life that he still did not have access to. It was alright though...he would wait.

"It's not exactly sexy pillow talk." Came her expected answer. She couldn't tell him, not yet. She couldn't let him know that the sudden appearance of Theresa Runyeon in her life had triggered memories that she thought were long buried. "Did I hurt you?" She asked.

Danny smiled. "You clocked me in the jaw."

Katie lifted her head and looked at him. "I'm sorry." She said, bringing her hand to his chin and turning his face so she could see where she struck him. "Do you think it was hard enough to leave a bruise?"

"Nah. I'm tough." Danny said, kissing her fingertips.

"Rugged." She smiled. "Here, let me ease my guilty conscience." She kissed his strong jawline and looked up at him. "Better?"

"Mmmm." He said. "But actually, it hurts here more." He pointed to a spot on his neck and she promptly kissed it. "And here." He said, pointing to his lips. Katie grinned up at him and he wrapped his arms around her as she leaned in for a kiss that made everything all better for both of them.


	14. Full Circle

Thanks again for the reviews! There is only one more chapter left after this one, but I am thinking of some little vignettes that may feature Danny and Katie. And I already have another idea for another Danny fic...and another new lady for him! Hope you enjoy this chapter...

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_Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted;  
the indifference of those who should have known better;  
the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most;  
that has made it possible for evil to triumph.  
-Haile Selassie_

**Chapter Fourteen - Full Circle**

"So now Theresa Runyeon has gone missing?" Martin asked, staring up at the photo on the board. "This just keeps getting stranger."

"Neighbors say that Theresa left the house with the baby four days ago and hasn't been back since. She didn't look like she was taking a trip...didn't take anything with her but a diaper bag and her purse. Could have been any ordinary evening. Except that she never came home." Sam said, looking at the case notes on her clipboard. "There have been no charges made on her credit card, no activity in her account at the bank, and her friends seem to be genuinely concerned."

"What about family?" Vivian asked, looking over Martin's shoulder at the picture on the board.

"None in this area." Martin answered. "From what we could get out of her friends, her mother died when she was a child and she has been on the outs with her father since marrying Runyeon."

"The father could see what the daughter couldn't?" Danny asked, shaking his head.

Sam nodded at Danny and then asked, "I don't think she even knew her husband's body had been found. No one was at the house when a uniform went to inform her and she never answered her cell phone."

"Maybe she did know." Danny said, looking at the photo with interest. "Maybe we're looking at this the wrong way."

"Keep going." Jack said, recognizing the look on Danny's face.

"Well, we've been working under the assumption that Katie McNamara was the only woman in Frank Runyeon's life who would have wanted him dead. We've been concentrating on her family and his business associates. But everything we've found out about the McNamara's tells us that they've stayed on the right side of the law..."

"As far as we know." Vivian reminded him.

"Don't bother explaining that to him," Martin teased. "I think Danny lost his objectivity the minute he laid eyes on K-mac."

Ignoring Martin's comments and the smiles that appeared on the faces of his co-workers, Danny continued, "We are assuming that Theresa Runyeon didn't know what kind of man she married. What if she did? And just chose to ignore it?"

"But couldn't ignore it any longer?" Sam asked. "And then reported him missing to cover up her crime?"

"It's worth looking into." Danny said.

"We may not have to." Vivian said, something catching her eye over their heads. She nodded in the direction of the entrance to the bullpen and they all turned their heads to see Katie McNamara, Theresa Runyeon, and infamous victim's rights attorney Gloria Allred entering through the glass doors.

"Well, I guess we can take her picture down." Martin muttered under his breath. The team watched as Jack approached the threesome and they spoke in quiet whispers. Not once, Danny noticed, did Katie look in his direction.

Finally, Jack approached and said, "Theresa Runyeon is here to turn herself in for the murder of her husband, Frank Runyeon."

The bullpen became a flurry of activity and Danny took the opportunity to pull Katie aside. "You want to tell me what's going on?"

Avoiding his eyes, Katie looked around the room and answered, "Well, it looks like your team is wrapping up two cases at once..."

"Hey," Danny said gently, turning her to face him. Not caring who saw, he leaned in and asked, "This is me here."

Finally meeting his gaze, Katie said, "Theresa Runyeon was never missing. She was at Avalon for the past few days." Looking over at Theresa, she continued quietly, "He raped her."

"So she killed him." Danny said, flatly.

"She came to me, Danny." Katie said, softly. "She had no where else to go. That's why Avalon opened it's doors."

"And Gloria Allred got involved...?" Danny left his question open.

"Because I called her. She's a friend of mine." Katie finished for him.

Danny smirked. "Of course she is."

Katie couldn't hold back the grin. "We worked on some legislation together. She coached me when I testified before Congress for the D.N.A. banks..."

"You have led some kind of life haven't you?" Danny asked.

"Some days were better than others." Katie said. "I had to help her, Danny. If things had been different, I could have been her. I know the rage that drove her to do what she did. I felt it. I barely survived it." Katie's eyes filled with tears. "But I had my family to turn to. She had no one...and so she turned to me."

"And it all came full circle." He said quietly, his eyes softening as he brushed away the single tear that escaped onto her cheek. "A few nights ago? That's when the nightmares returned, isn't it?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry that I kept it from you." She whispered.

"Don't do that anymore."

"I..." Katie started to say, but he stopped her.

"I mean it, Katie." He lifted her chin with his fingers, gently forcing her to look at him again. "And it has nothing to do with our jobs. You don't have to keep this to yourself. I can take it. If you promise to trust me."


	15. Bubbles

**Well, we have come to the end of this fic! Thank you so much to all my reviewers...you were the inspiration to keep coming up with great chapters for this story! **

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**Chapter Fifteen - Lovein the Bubbles**

"We're here." Katie's eyes popped open at the sound of her best friend's voice. She looked around and realized that they were parked in front of her apartment building. She had fallen into such a deep sleep on the ride from the courthouse that it took her a minute for her eyes to adjust.

"Thanks for the ride home, Maria. I appreciate it."

"Not a problem. It was on the way." Maria grabbed her things from the back seat and handed them to her as she opened the door. "You did great today. Made us all proud."

She smiled a tired smile. "Yes, I am sure that Gloria is always proud of all her witnesses who practically collapse the moment they get off the stand."

Maria shrugged and reassured her, "Just means you gave it everything you had. Literally. No shame in that. No shame at all." She looked past Katie toward the steps of her apartment building and Katie turned her head, which caused the kink in her neck to snap. Danny was sitting on her front steps, yellow roses in hand, looking at the car intently. "I hope it's ok that I called him for you. Thought you could use a little TLC."

"Thanks again." Katie smiled and got out of his car. Danny stood up, nodded to Maria as she pulled away, and reached out take Katie's hand. He greeted her with a kiss on the cheek as Jimmy, the doorman, opened the front door for them.

"Hi." He whispered with a smile as they waited for the elevator. He handed the bouquet of pale yellow flowers to her.

Squeezing his hand, she whispered back, "Hi." Burying her face in the fragrance of the roses, Katie inhaled deeply. She smiled up at him in thanks as they stepped into the elevator and leaned up against his warm strength as the elevator doors closed behind them. They didn't speak as the elevator took them up to her 11th floor apartment. Sometimes silence was all that was necessary. Once inside, she barely made it to the couch before she collapsed.

Danny shooed Max off the couch as he sat next to her and pulled her legs into his lap. "So I heard you had a bit of a day, hmm?" He had removed her shoes and was massaging her tired feet. She managed a tired smile at him before closing her eyes. "What can I do?"

"What you're doing is good." she murmured into the couch pillow. She was quiet for a moment as Danny continued to massage her feet and moved his skillful hands up her legs. Realizing that she was still clutching the roses, she moved them over to the coffee table and shooed away Max's curious nose. He and Danny were old friends by now and the German Shepard didn't even bat an eyelash when Danny came into the apartment with her. "I never in a million years thought that I would be called as a character witness in defense of Frank Runyeon's wife. What a strange turn my life has taken." Max, always able to sense when she was having a bad day, laid his head on her stomach and she moved to scratch his head. "I almost lost it up there, Danny. I thought I was ready to testify, but when I stood up to take the stand I almost crumpled like a paper doll. My emotions and my legs betrayed me, at the same time, right there in front of everyone."

"I'm quite certain that they won't hold it against you. You're pretty convincing on the witness stand. And you have first hand knowledge of what kind of monster her husband was. That should go a long way in aiding her 'battered wife' defense." Danny said, looking over at her as she closed her eyes. "I talked to your dad today. He invited me to the Yankee game on Friday night."

"You hate the Yankees." She grinned, but didn't open her eyes.

"Which is why, I'm sure," Danny said,with a grin, "we are going to sit in the right field bleachers and he is going to announce to every die hard Yankee fan there that I am a Mets fan. Then they will all promptly throw beer on me and throw me off the upper deck."

Katie smiled. "And you can't take your gun with you for protection. They have rules about that sort of thing."

"I guess I will have to depend on your _rugged _father and brothers to protect me, which I'm sure was their plan all along." Danny smirked. "They get a strange sort of delight in torturing me."

"It means they like you." She told him. "If they didn't, they wouldn't bother."

"He wanted me to remind you that they are very proud of you." Danny said quietly. "And so am I."

Katie looked as if she were about to protest, but the look Danny gave her silenced her. "Thank you." was all she said with a smile.

"See...you can take a compliment." He grinned. "I blame it on my superb influence in that department and take all the credit."

"Mmmmm." she murmured, too tired to argue with him. "I need a nap. A 24 hour nap." She paused, "No, I need a hot bath. To soak my aching muscles in. But which do I need more?"

"Why not take a nap in the tub?" he asked quietly, not sure she was aware she had spoken the words out loud.

"Well, I have this little fear of drowning. If I fall asleep in the bathtub, achy muscles will be the least of my concerns. And I'm sure the girls at Avalon will be none too pleased. We're supposed to have a girls night out on Friday. Lucy is finally going to join us." She was slowly working up the strength to head to her bedroom.

"If that's all your worried about, I can fix that. Wait here." He got up and left the living room, leaving Katie smiling after him. Where did he think she was going to go? She heard him running the bath water and assumed he had decided that she needed a bath more than a nap. She was too tired to argue with him, so she dragged herself to the kitchen to find a vase for the roses, and then into her bedroom and began to undress. As the soothing scent of bath oils filled the air, Danny came into the room. "I thought I told you to wait in the living room." She gave him a look that let him know that she was too tired to be messed with and he held up his hands in a mock surrender. It was only then she noticed that he had stripped down and was wearing only a towel. Reading her quizzical look, he smiled and said, "I thought a bath sounded like a good idea. So, I'm joining you. And that way, if you fall asleep in the tub you won't have to worry about drowning."

Katie settled back against his strong body and let the hot water engulf her tired body. Danny wrapped his arms around her and she realized that she had never completely known contentment until that moment. "I love you, Danny Taylor." she murmered, as she allowed herself to drift off to sleep.

"I love you, too." He whispered, closing his eyes as she whispered the words he had been longing to hear her say. And at that moment, neither of them could think of another place in the world they would rather be.


End file.
